by Kit Morgan
“What he allowed?” Cutty said with a cough. “What do ya mean?”
Nettie shook her head. “He means nothing! It’s nothing!”
Newton took a deep breath and put an arm around his sister’s shoulders. “Poor Nettie was nothing more than a chambermaid for years. But that didn't satisfy his Lordship for long. She was soon reduced to a scullery maid.”
Cutty gasped. “A scullery maid? In yer own house?”
Nettie turned on the seat, her eyes imploring. “Please don’t tell Amon! I don’t want him to know –”
“Stop it,” Newton interrupted. He pulled on the reins and brought the team to a stop. “I’ll not have you go into this marriage with your future husband letting him believe a lie. It’s not fair to him, and it’s not fair to you. Yes, we grew up with on the Baron’s estate –but not as his children. He treated us little better than the plantation owners here in America treat their African slaves. That, my dear sister, is a simple fact.”
“Our secret was sealed behind those lips of yours!” Nettie raged. “Now you might as well shout it into the wind and let it be carried all over town!”
“And I will, if it proves necessary. But there’s something you don’t realize about our situation.” Newton looked past her to Cutty. “Does it matter to you, sir?”
Cutty knew he had to keep his temper. How dare the Baron … “It matters to me if’n he didn’t treat ya right. Wasn’t he some kind of relation?”
“Our grandfather,” Nettie said, her head low. “Most relatives of bastard children don’t even do that much.”
“What? Forcin’ ya to be a servant?” Cutty asked, appalled.
“Better a servant in our mother’s house than a beggar in the streets,” Newton said. “It wasn’t always that way – it didn’t start until after our mother died.”
“How old were ya?” Cutty asked, still trying to keep his temper in check.
Newton shrugged. “We were nine.”
Cutty let go of the wagon seat. “Well, I’ll be.”
“Do you see now, sister?” Newton asked. “People here, they worry not over class and station in life. Everyone here is what they have made of themselves, not where they were born nor who their parents were. We have been given the opportunity to do the same. Where we’ve come from matters not to Cutty – he doesn’t care if we worked in a stable or a kitchen. His only concern is whether we were treated well.”
“Dang right,” Cutty agreed, his voice flooded with emotion.
“And I know Amon will feel the same.”
Nettie remained unconvinced. “Please,” she pleaded to Cutty, “please don’t tell Amon!”
Cutty stared at her a moment before he finally spoke. “You don’t have to worry about me tellin’ him nothin’. It ain’t my place. If anyone’s gonna tell him, it should be you.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Newton said as he gave the horses a slap of leather and got them moving again.
“Oh … very well,” Nettie snapped. “But I’ll do it in my own time and in my own way.”
“Don’t wait too long,” Newton added. “I won’t have you married under a falsehood.”
“So that’s why yer here,” Cutty muttered to himself.
“Yes,” Newton said. “I petitioned our cousin the Duke of Stantham myself. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened to poor Nettie here. I had to do something – I couldn’t sit by and watch the Baron marry her off to just anyone.”
“To be rid of me,” she added, frowning.
“Why, that bloody bast …” Cutty began, then coughed. “… that low-down stinkin’ snake!”
“My thoughts exactly,” Newton said.
“He wasn’t evil,” Nettie confessed. “But he was insensitive. And he didn’t know what to do with a couple of by-blows after Mother died.”
All three remained silent the rest of the way, each lost in thought. Nettie wondered how she was going to explain to Amon her true position in the Baron’s household. Newton, though less embarrassed by the disclosure, knew he still needed to come clean with the people of Clear Creek if he was to get a job to support himself.
And Cutty … Cutty was still back at the part where the Baron made his daughter a kitchen maid. What he wouldn’t give to have that man in front of him for just five minutes. But would he thank him for not throwing his children into the streets, or throttle him for not doing better by them?
When they reached the men’s camp, he still didn't know.
* * *
Newton guided the wagon to a trough near the barn so he could water the horses. He brought the team to a stop, set the brake, hopped down and helped Nettie off. Cutty was already coming around the wagon as her feet touched the ground. “Amon’s prob’ly in the barn,” he told them. “That’s where his workshop is.”
“A workshop – how splendid,” Nettie said as she gazed at the barn’s open double doors. She still sounded a bit numb from Newton’s revelation.
Newton led the horses to the water and let them drink. “Why don’t you go see if he’s in there?”
“If he ain’t, he might be inside,” Cutty said as he nodded toward the cabin. “I know Jasper’s in there – I can smell bread bakin’.”
Newton laughed. “Leave it to you to know where there’s food.”
Cutty winked at him, smiled and patted his stomach. “You’re learnin’ me, son.”
Newton laughed. “Take her to the barn, will you?”
Cutty offered her his arm. “May I escort you, m’lady?” he asked in an upper-class English accent.
She giggled. “Why, Cutty, that was amazing. You could pass for an Englishman.”
Cutty cleared his throat. “Ya really think so?”
“Absolutely.”
“Yeah? Well, I prefer talkin’ like an imbecile.”
She hooked her arm through his. “You are not an imbecile, and don’t ever say you are. You’re one of the wittiest, kindest men I’ve ever met.”
He swallowed hard, bit his lip and steered her toward the barn without replying, praying she didn’t see the tears in his eyes. Thankfully the dim light of the barn would hide them from her. Not that she was likely to look at anything but Amon.
Sure enough, her eyes lit up when she saw him in his makeshift workshop inside a stall, and she pulled Cutty over to it. “Good morning,” she said.
Amon said nothing – he was too transfixed by the woman standing before him. He gave her a single nod and a wide smile.
“So,” she continued, “this is where you make beautiful things?”
“Ah … y-yes,” he stammered, collecting himself. He cleared his throat. “I was just starting something new. Would you like to see it?”
“It’s why we’re here. I hope we’re not imposing.”
“Not at all.”
“What’re ya makin’?” Cutty asked.
Amon pointed to several small pieces of wood on the worktable in front of him. “Toys.”
“Toys? For whom?” Nettie asked.
“There are several families with children in the area. I thought I could sell them at the mercantile. They’ll make fine Christmas gifts.”
Nettie stared at the pieces of wood and could see the beginnings of a face carved into one. “Have you ever made toys before?”
“This is a first. I’m used to working with larger pieces of wood. I wanted something a little more challenging, and the fine detail required for these should do the trick.”
She picked one up and fingered the work he’d already done. “I’m sure they’re going to be beautiful.”
“So yer … makin’ dolls?” Cutty asked.
“Soldiers, actually. I’m going to let Fina Stone paint them for me. She loves to do that sort of thing, I hear.”
“Ya can say that again!” Cutty chuckled. “Ya ever seen her kitchen table?”
Amon laughed. “No, but I’ve heard about it.”
“What’s wrong with her table?” Nettie asked.
“She done paint
ed it bright red and yellah,” Cutty told her.
“I’d heard stories about Fina and her painting growing up. But I didn’t think she still did such things.”
“I don’t care what she did to her table, so long as she makes my toys look good,” Amon said as he came around to stand before them. “Would you like some coffee? I’m sure Jasper has a pot on the stove.”
“Thank you, I’d love some , ” Nettie said.
He gazed into her eyes and smiled before heading toward the cabin.
Nettie stared after him in bewilderment, then sighed, her eyes downcast. “There he goes again …”
“What’s the matter?”
“A gentleman usually offers a lady his arm,” she stated.
“Ya came in on my arm – maybe he thinks I’m the one to escort you back.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Perhaps you’re right.”
“Perhaps ya worry too much.”
Nettie had no response for that.
“He’s eager to serve, I’ll give him that,” Cutty said with a wink. “He can’t pour you a cup of coffee fast enough.”
Nettie smiled. “He’ll make a good husband, won’t he?”
“Only you can be the judge of that. I ain’t the one has to marry him!” He wrapped one of her arms through his and headed for the doors.
“Cutty,” she said, bringing them to a stop. “If you thought him an ill match, would you tell me?”
“Course I would – I’m no blackguard.” Anymore. “I ain’t doin’ this just for the food like yer brother thinks.”
“He doesn’t think that at all. He adores you as much as I do.”
“Even so, I’m doin’ it because I like both of ya and want to see ya marry well.”
She smiled again and he glimpsed the tears in her eyes as she leaned toward him and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you. I knew I could count on you.”
“Shucks, Nettie, ya two are kinda growin’ on me too. I wouldn’t wanna see either of ya marry someone that’d make ya unhappy.” They kept walking, both smiling now.
When they reached the cabin Jasper poured them each a cup of coffee, got himself a cup, then sat at the table to visit. “Is that cinnamon bread I smell?” Cutty asked.
“Yep – but you ain’t makin’ off with no loaves,” Jasper snapped.
“Did I ask to take any?” Cutty asked innocently.
“You don’t have to say nothin’ – I know you too well!” Jasper scolded him.
“Ha! You don’t know nothin’!”
“Do you two always banter like this?” Nettie asked.
“Naw, usually we fight over pie at the saloon,” Jasper told her with a wink.
“Jasper’s goal in life is to make a pie better than Mrs. Dunnigan’s or Mrs. Upton’s,” Amon said. “Neither one knows that Jasper’s plotting against them in secret.”
Cutty laughed. “Jasper sometimes lets me test his creations.”
“Yes, except he takes the whole pie if he can get away with it,” Jasper groused.
“How’s your coffee?” Amon asked Nettie, interrupting them.
She took a small sip. “It’s delicious.”
He offered her a smile. “Good. I … I was planning on coming into town later, but since you’re here … would you care to take a walk with me?”
Everyone’s eyes darted between the two as they waited for her answer.
“I’d love to,” she said demurely.
“A splendid idea,” Newton agreed, speaking for the first time. “I’m sure you two have much to talk about,” he added, giving his sister a pointed look.
She paled. “Yes,” she said weakly. “I’d love to know how long it would take to build a house. Just this morning I asked Newton about it.”
“I’d be happy to hazard a guess for you,” Amon said with a smile. He drained his cup, stood and held out a hand to her. She took it and he helped her from her chair. This time he offered her his arm and when she took it, they left the cabin.
“Well?” Newton said as he eyed Cutty. “Aren’t you going with them?”
Cutty’s eyes drifted toward the stove. “Um …”
“Tarnation, Cutty,” Jasper groaned. “I’ll save you a loaf.”
“In that case, I’ll see ya two later – I got chaperonin’ to do!” He hurried from the cabin and caught sight of Amon and Nettie over by the barn. Since they weren’t going anywhere at the moment, he plopped down on the porch steps and continued to enjoy the sweet smells coming from the cabin. He closed his eyes a moment …
… and an image of the Baron standing over Nettie with a horse crop in his hand flashed before him. Good grief! Did he ever beat her? Did the poor girl have whip marks on her back? What if he’d locked her in the cellar at night? What horrible details of their lives had they not told him? He shuddered at the thoughts and opened his eyes, trying to focus on the task at hand.
But Amon and Nettie were gone.
Eighteen
Amon and Nettie, on the other side of the barn, were looking at several finished pieces of woodwork, including the head and foot boards for a bed. “Well? What do you think?” he asked.
“My,” she told him, “they’re absolutely stunning!” And indeed they were. The top of each bedpost had been carved into a pinecone, the posts themselves adorned with carvings of the flowers she’d seen in Amon’s meadow. “Who did you make these for?”
He took her other hand and looked into her eyes. “At the time I made them I had no idea who they were for. Usually I do. But these … I just had to make them.”
She blushed, and it warmed him inside. “Do you know now?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice softened. “I believe I do.”
She swallowed hard, tried to look away, but couldn’t break from his gaze. He felt it, sensed it and had to marvel at it. How could he hold her with a mere look? How could anyone? But he knew that was exactly what he was doing.
She relaxed – he felt that too – and watched her take a step toward him. “It’s a beautiful piece of work.”
“I’ve made the frame as well,” he whispered. “It’s in the barn …”
She took another step closer, and Amon could feel his body fill with … something. “I’d love to see them.”
He nodded, unable to speak, his senses now lost within their gaze. What was happening to him? Good grief, he thought to himself, am I in love with her? It’s far too early for that, isn’t it? Land sakes, I’ve only known her for a week at most. But something in his heart – and deeper – seemed to absorb her company the way a body absorbed nutrients, food. It was the closest explanation he had in that moment.
Or maybe not an explanation, but a realization. He’d get a similar feeling when he was creating something, or when he found the perfect tree to create from. For some unexplainable reason, Nettie Whitman made him feel whole, satisfied. And he wanted more of it.
“Tarnation!” Cutty said as he rounded the corner of the barn. “How can I chaperone the two of ya when ya take off like that?”
Amon and Nettie slowly turned their heads, each having a hard time taking their eyes from the other. Amon was able to first. “I wasn’t planning on going much further than this.”
“How’m I supposed to know that?” Cutty groused.
Amon looked over the expanse of prairie beyond and the trees dotted here and there. “Well, it’s not like you’d lose sight of us, now is it?”
“I’m just doing my job!” he shot back.
Amon turned back to Nettie and gave her hands a squeeze. “As am I.” He cocked his head to one side then the other as he studied her. His eyes roamed her face for a moment, then fixated on her lips. “Nettie …” came out a whisper.
She drew close, their gaze deepening. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't. Amon knew that feeling well.
“Uh, Jasper's got cinnamon bread,” Cutty announced, turning to leave. “Nothin’ better than hot cinnamon bread fresh outta the oven.” He stopped when he got no response and
glanced over his shoulder. Nettie and Amon’s bodies were touching! Cutty yelped in alarm and headed straight for them. “Now see here, Cotter!”
Amon’s head snapped around, his eyes narrowed slightly and a low growl escaped him.
Cutty stopped dead in his tracks. “Well, ya don’t have to get snippy about it! It’s just cinnamon bread!”
Amon’s face relaxed, and his eyes went wide. “Good grief!” He shook his head. “I don’t know what happened to me. I’m sorry, Cutty. That wasn’t a very nice thing to do.”
“Ya get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or what?” Cutty walked over to Nettie, grabbed one of her hands and pulled her away from him. “Come on, let’s go get some bread.”
Nettie, still unable to speak, let herself be yanked back to the cabin. Amon stood and watched them go, still puzzling over his automatic – and visceral – reaction to Cutty’s approach. Some primal instinct had risen up out of nowhere, its only intent to claim and keep what was his. Nettie …
He shook his head again. May be there really was something wrong with him and he needed to pay another visit to Doc Drake. He’d caught himself doing more than a few strange things around this woman, and was having feelings he’d never experienced before. Was this how love worked?
Still, how could he be falling in love with someone he barely knew and had hardly spent time with? But … their day in the meadow had been one of the most wonderful of his life, and it had all stemmed from doing a few simple things with her. What would happen, he wondered, if he did something fantastic? Though what that would be, he had no idea …
He shook himself from his reverie, got his feet moving and headed back to the cabin. The others were already inside, and who knows what Cutty was complaining about to Nettie’s brother. He really should speak with someone more versed in affairs of the heart, but who? Newton wasn’t married, and neither was Cutty. There was always Seth and Ryder …
The note! Amon stopped and searched his pockets. He found it and pulled it out. He needed to get it to Seth or his brother, and to do that he’d have to go into town –
