Nissa (The Widows of Wildcat Ridge Book 3)

by Zina Abbott

  Hal nodded in agreement. “A good plan. I think your father and Maggie were very wise.”

  Birdie laughed. “I resented their interference at the time. I thought it created a lot of unnecessary effort for me to get ready for work. However, I did what they told me. With a letter of introduction from my father in hand, I went to the bank manager to ask for a job.” Birdie interrupted with a giggle. “Another thing, Maggie asked around and made sure I waited until she knew Mr. Crane would be away from town for some time. Even before the mine disaster at the Gold King, he traveled to Salt Lake City and to his other businesses in the state quite often.”

  “You were smart to ask for the job without him around.”

  “Yes, well, I realize that now. But when I was hired, the first week or so I thought all the extra effort to destroy my appearance was unnecessary. I hated having to develop tricks for seeing around the magnifying lenses of the spectacles that sometimes made it hard for me to read and occasionally gave me a headache. Then I realized that the men who came in, the rougher strangers who did not know me from the boarding house, did not flirt or make suggestive remarks to me like I sometimes saw them do to other women.”

  Hal smiled as he studied her face. “I’m surprised they didn’t see through your disguise.”

  Birdie looked at her lap. “I’m relieved they didn’t. If they weren’t bad enough, Mr. Crane returned to the bank. He was not happy to learn the manager had hired a woman. I recall he looked me up and down like I was a…a…well, like cattle. I began to realize why Maggie and Papa insisted I appear like I do out in public, especially after I started overhearing things about Mr. Crane’s other businesses involving women. Those I learned he didn’t run honestly, which is why he never asked my father to help with them. That’s why, to work at the bank, I need to hide in plain sight.”

  Hal leaned towards Birdie and softly brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. Somehow, he resisted the temptation to kiss her. “I hate to tell you, Miss Templeton, but I saw past your sour-faced expression and the spectacles covering your eyes. Instead of them repelling me, I wanted to know the real woman behind the masquerade.”

  Birdie looked down and blushed prettily. Then she looked up earnestly and held Hal’s gaze with hers. “You are more perceptive that most men, Hal, for which I am grateful. I’m thrilled you decided to learn more about the woman behind the disguise. It is probably unseemly for me to admit this, but I wanted you to see the real me. That’s why I told you my first name when you said you wished to know it. Even though I was terrified Mr. Crane would see too much, especially with the temper he was in the other day, I wanted to speak with you more. That’s why, when you marched me into the boarding house, instead of running for the safety of the kitchen which leads to my room, I did show you into the parlor and stayed there with you. I was terrified and exhilarated all at the same time. I wanted to be with you.”

  Hal grinned. “Clever, Birdie. After being so stand-offish on the street, I wondered why, once we were inside, you took your spectacles off and put them away.”

  “I wanted you to see me, not my spectacles. There was something about you…I don’t know, and maybe I’m being too forward, but I didn’t want to hide from you. You see, I hide from most people in this town so they don’t tell on me to Mr. Crane. The men who rent from Maggie come and go. Since Papa died, those who still live in the boarding house only see me in my black suit. On Sundays, I dress more like I am now, but I eat in the kitchen—away from prying eyes that could report me to Mr. Crane. It has been so wonderful to be able to be myself with someone other than Maggie and Mrs. Smith.”

  Hal tamped down the anger he felt welling up inside him. How dare the lecherous degenerate, Mortimer Crane, behave in that manner towards her? “You should not have had to deal with that just to have a job, Birdie. Mr. Crane is wrong.”

  Birdie heaved a sigh of resignation. “He might be in the wrong, but he virtually owned the town. Both miners and businesses made their livings because of his mine. When Papa kept getting worse, I did what I felt I had to do to support us. Mr. Crane seemed to grow even more unhappy with me after Papa died. I knew then I had to get away, but I wasn’t sure how. I knew first I had pay everyone I owed, especially the doctor for Papa’s medical expenses. I also knew I needed to save enough money to get me by where I go in case I don’t find work right away.”

  His voice filled with earnest concern, Hal scooted closer. “You told me that first day Mr. Crane might close down the bank in town. I don’t think you should wait much longer.”

  “I know, but I can’t just walk away. I have to go about it just right, or Mr. Crane will use his influence with other bankers to keep me from working in a bank again. With the train no longer coming here on a regular basis, I need to be able to time my departure so I can ride the stagecoach out of here and catch the train in Curdy’s Crossing. I also need to withdraw what money I do keep in Crane Bank, hand in my resignation and turn over my key just before I leave. Then I can only hope that the manager will not be quick to send a telegram to Mr. Crane so he has enough warning to cause me trouble.”

  Hal shook his head in disgust. “You shouldn’t have to scheme like that, Birdie. You should feel free to stay or leave anytime.” He paused then voiced an opinion he knew could risk her ire. “You need to get away from this town now, Birdie.”

  Birdie swallowed and folded her hands in her lap to keep them from trembling. “I need to, but I haven’t worked out exactly how to do it. It’s times like this I miss my father. I can’t really talk it over with Maggie. She doesn’t want me to go alone. She’s afraid something bad might happen to me if I can’t get work right away and run out of money in a strange city.”

  Hal decided to take a chance and sat next to Birdie. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. When she did not shrink from his touch, he pulled her closer until her side hugged his ribcage. He experienced a sense of gratification and wholeness when she leaned her head against his shoulder. He leaned his cheek towards her, only for his jaw to bump into the brim of her straw hat.

  “Thank you for listening to me, Hal—for caring. Except for Maggie, I haven’t felt for some time like anyone cares what happens to me.”

  Hal released her long enough to fumble with the veil and reach for the pin that held her hat on her head. He held his breath, hoping she would not object to him removing it. Once he set it on the ground, he hugged her, the side of his face pressing against her cheek. “I care about you, Birdie. That may sound strange since we have known each other for such a short time, but I care very much. Let me at least help you get away from Wildcat Ridge.” He then loosened his hold on her but did not move away. Hal held her loosely, as though ready to release her if she objected> She relaxed with a sigh. She buried her forehead into the side of his neck. “I would like that, Hal. I’d need to buy my stagecoach ticket at a time I know Mr. Crane won’t find out. I’m afraid to, otherwise.”

  Hal pulled Birdie closer and once again rested the side of his face on the top of her head, this time without the hat blocking the way. He waited. Instead of pulling away as he feared she might, she yielded to his embrace. “The train that brought us in is due back here Saturday after the auction to take buyers and their horses up to the Union Pacific line. Please, let me escort you to Denver. I’ll help you find a safe place to stay while you look for work. I’m sure my boss will let me have the time.”

  Birdie turned her face up, a question in her expression. “Why would you do that, Hal? Your boss might get angry if you ask him for more time away from his ranch.”

  Hal sighed and leaned away, his gaze not leaving her face. Above him, the wind blowing through the evergreen branches played a melody sweeter than any orchestra. Hal realized there must be aspen trees near, for he could hear the distinctive clatter the round leaves made as they changed color to bright yellow before drying and falling from their branches. He turned his face west and squinted. He judged from the angle of the rays of light the sun prepared to s
et behind the mountains.

  Why did he wish to go to all this trouble for a woman he had just met? Hal realized even as seldom as he managed to visit a town or with the few women on surrounding ranches, he had yet, until Birdie, been drawn to one of them. He found several attractive, some even pleasing to engage in casual conversation. However, none of them seemed to possess the depth and presence he found in Birdie. He sensed the more she opened up to him, the more he would find an intelligent and complex woman with whom he would enjoy sharing his most prized dreams and deepest thoughts.

  Hal turned back to Birdie. “Because I could not live with myself unless I do. I know you deserve better than what life has handed you these past few years. I wish I could give you better than that, but I will at least see you safely someplace else. Maybe once you settle, you’ll let me write to you and perhaps visit you on occasion.”

  Birdie gazed at him thoughtfully and nodded. “Yes, I think I would like that. I think the timing would be right. The bank will be open half a day Saturday. I can collect my week’s pay, close my account, and hand in my resignation and keys as I’m walking out. If I have my trunk already packed, all I will need to do is buy my train ticket.”

  “I’ll buy your train ticket, Birdie.”

  “Oh, I don’t want you to have to do that.”

  “Yes. If you buy it ahead, word might get back to the bank. If you wait, you might not have time to buy your ticket and get your trunk on board. If I buy your ticket, plus pick up your trunk in the morning, all you will need to do is go straight from the bank to the depot. My boss may need me to work with the horses, and I may already be gone. If I can, I’ll wait for you and walk you over to the depot myself. By that time, it will be too late for anyone to do anything about you leaving.”

  Birdie sat up straight and placed her fingertips to her lips as her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “It will finally happen. Only one more day and a half of hoping Mr. Crane doesn’t say or do something to cause me trouble, and I can escape.” She turned to Hal and continued with a catch to her voice. “I can’t thank you enough. You are giving me the courage to leave and hope for a better life.”

  “Do you know where you want to go, Birdie?”

  Birdie’s face lit with excitement. “Denver is where I have my other bank account—the one where I have been sending my extra money. I’ve been to Denver, and I like the city, in spite of it being so big. I know I can’t stay in Utah. Mr. Crane has too much influence in this state, and Evanston is too small. Yes, I’ll go to Denver.”

  Hal considered her choice and nodded. “Denver is quite a ways from the Grassy Fork where I work, but my boss generally goes to Denver once or twice a year. I can probably arrange to come with him and visit with you. I’ll write when I can. Our closest little town with a post office is a ways away, and we don’t get there much, plus I don’t think mail goes in and out of it too often.” Hal reached over and brushed his palm against Birdie’s cheek. “I don’t want to lose track of you, Birdie. I know…” Hal inhaled, disturbed at the thought he was about to voice. “…I know if you meet another man and are courting, you will wish to break it off. But, until then, I would like us to be…friends.” Hal looked away and shook his head. Who was he kidding? He wanted her for much more than a friend.

  Hal could hear the hesitation, and perhaps a hint of disappointment, in Birdie’s voice. “Friends…yes, I’d like that. Of course, I’ll write to you, Hal, and I’ll look forward to your visits when you come to Denver.”

  Hal looked away with a sinking feeling. How weak and inadequate he sounded. Friends? He wanted to keep her with him. He wanted her for his wife. However, he dared not say so. As a drover living in a bunkhouse while working on another man’s ranch, he had nothing to offer her as far as a home life.

  Hal looked up and squinted at the fading light coming through the trees. The sun had set, and soon darkness would be upon them. He reached for Birdie’s hat and handed it to her. “I hate to see this evening come to an end, Birdie, but I need to get you back before it’s too late to see the road. I should have asked for a lantern, but I didn’t.”

  Birdie pinned the borrowed hat on her head and covered her face with the veil. Silently, the pair gathered up what was left from their picnic and loaded it into the buggy. Hal helped Birdie up before he climbed in and turned the horse towards town.

  After minutes of silence, Birdie’s soft voice disrupted Hal’s musings. “Hal, do you know the train schedule for Saturday? What if the train leaves Wildcat Ridge before noon?”

  Hal snapped his head towards Birdie, barely able to see her in the dimming light. “No, I’m not sure when it is due to leave. I figured by the time it arrived and with horses to load, it wouldn’t get away before noon. My boss would know for sure.”

  Birdie looked down and worried her knuckle with her teeth. “If the train leaves earlier, I might not be able to go.”

  “You will go, Birdie. One way or another, I’ll help you leave Wildcat Ridge and see you safely settled in Denver, away from the clutches of Mortimer Crane.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  June 26, 1884

  A

  fter leaving Nissa the night before, Dallin had made a point to slide a note under the door of the room shared by his men before he went to bed. Even though he knew Buck slept at the livery, Hal would get the note and see the two of them followed his instructions.

  Dallin shook his head at the thought of Hal’s strange behavior. The man was quiet by nature and often did not advertise his every movement. He had learned from experience that once the other hands found out he spent his time browsing in a book store or library, or attended a classical opera instead of a vaudeville act more popular with most of them, they tended to rib him for weeks. However, this trip he had been more secretive than usual. There were no theaters operating in Wildcat Ridge, and the only place Dallin knew of where books were available for sale was Tweedie’s Mercantile.

  However, if Hal was anything, he was responsible. Dallin knew if he gave the order for both him and Buck to be at the Crystal Café at noon for dinner and a meeting, they’d show.

  At noon, Dallin found his favorite table, the one he shared with Nissa and the children at suppertime, and waited. Buck showed up first, stretching and yawning at soon as he sat down.

  Dallin studied him. “Have a rough night?”

  “I didn’t. Those boys from the Rafter O sure did, though. Someone got to the corral and let the horses loose. Several scattered.”

  Hal entered the café and joined them.

  Dallin noticed that although Hal nodded a greeting to both of them as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place, Buck responded to Hal’s nod with a glare. Dallin wondered what had taken place that riled Buck, for they generally got along with each other better than with most of the other men. He decided to wait it out and see if what had happened between them came out in the open. Dallin hoped it had nothing to do with a woman. He hated it when grudge matches started among his men because two or more wanted the same pretty face. “Buck, here, was saying there was some excitement at the corral where they’re holding the horses for tomorrow’s auction.”

  “I heard something about that. They gathered up most of them, but some are still missing.” Hal leaned forward and focused on Buck. “Did you see much last night?”

  Buck shook his head and yawned. “Nope. I guess someone knocked out the two men they had guarding the corral. The sound of the horses running away woke up one of the men sleeping in the loft with me, and he started hollering to roust the others. Woke me up, too. After several men tromped past my blankets on their way down the ladder, there was no more sleeping for me for the time being. No one bothered our horses inside, so I figured I might as well get up and see what the ruckus was all about and if there was something I could do to help. That’s when I found out what happened.”

  Hal grinned. “Hope they didn’t mistake you for one of the rustlers.”

  Buck shook his head. “Nope. We a
lready did the introductions. Like me, they sorta like to know who’s bedding down in the same hayloft with them. It was pretty dark, and the others took the lanterns. Spent some time standing by the corral gate. When someone showed up with some horses they’d rounded up, I let them in.”

  Hal glanced around to see if anyone paid attention to their conversation. No one did. “I don’t suppose they have any evidence to accuse him, but after yesterday’s scene when he tried to keep the horses from coming into town, this sounds like something Mortimer Crane would do.”

  Buck shook his head. “The Rafter O men don’t think so. It was some sidewinder cowboy who didn’t like being put in his place after he insulted the owner of the horses. She’s a little slip of a woman with some Bible-sounding name, but she dresses like a boy. One of her hands laid into the galoot pretty good.”

  Dallin rubbed below his lip as he considered the situation. “Something like this happening right before an auction isn’t good. Hope none of the stock got ruined. They find them all?”

  Buck clapped a hand over his mouth to hide another yawn. “Don’t think so. There’s still a few out there. Last I heard, some of them thought they were homing pigeons and headed back to the Rafter O. The owner brought a bunch back into town right before I came here.”

  Grinning, Hal leaned back in his chair. “That must have been who I saw riding down the street with about a dozen head not long ago. I thought she was a boy until I saw her curves under those overalls and the braid down her back.”

  Buck barked a laugh. “Well, don’t get any ideas about her, because her foreman looks out for her like he’s her papa, and he’s not a man you want to cross.” He folded his arms and glared at Hal. “Then again, I hear your interests run in a different direction, but we aren’t good enough for you to let us in on it.”