The Pursuit (Family of Love Series) (A Western Romance Story)

by Elliee Atkinson

  “How about tonight for dinner?” Alice asked.

  “I don’t want to intrude on your cousin’s first night with her family.”

  “Oh, pooh!” Alice exclaimed. “She wouldn’t mind, would you, Molly?”

  Molly looked up at Alice and moved her eyes to Mark. “Of course not.”

  “You know Adam will be bored without someone here to talk to him, too. Come on, Mark. You know he needs you.” Alice used a pleading voice and then turned to mumble to Molly while Mark laughed. “You should see what a big baby Adam can be when he’s bored.”

  Molly giggled, covering her mouth with one hand. “Please do come, Mark. I don’t want Adam to be bored.”

  Mark continued to chuckle and tipped his hat to them. “All right then. Who am I to say no to you beautiful women? I’ll be back after I go home and clean up after work.”

  “See you this evening.” Alice said as he closed the door.

  “Nice meeting you!” Molly called out. She looked up at Alice, who was still standing up next to her. She was watching Mark through the window. She glanced down at Molly and gestured with her head.

  “Look at him strut, Molly. I do believe he has a thing for you.”

  Molly’s cheeks flushed but she instinctively twisted on the seat to watch Mark walk back to his wagon. She didn’t remain in the position long. She turned back and straightened out her dress, still blushing furiously.

  Finally Alice sat next to her again and smiled. “He’s a fine looking man, don’t you agree?”

  “Alice! How can you say that about a man that’s not your husband?”

  Alice raised her eyebrows. “I’m not blind, Molly B. And I was thinking for you, not me. By far, Adam is the most handsome man in Wickenburg, and any town I’ve ever visited for that matter. But Mark is still a fine looking man. You do agree, don’t you?”

  Molly grinned, though her cheeks were still flushed red. “Yes, I suppose he is.”

  Alice lost her smile and reached for Molly’s hands. “It isn’t too soon after your loss, is it? Am I being too forward? I’m so sorry, my dear.”

  “It isn’t too soon.”

  “It’s been a few years, hasn’t it?”

  Molly nodded. “It has been five years. Five years next month, actually.”

  “I was devastated that we could not come to Virginia for the funeral. Especially when you were able to come for Holly’s. But we just could not afford to be gone for so long. I do hope you understand.”

  “Of course I do. And it is quite all right, I promise. I must say there would have been no way for me to come to Holly’s if Bill wasn’t well-off himself when I married him. You know our family never has had a lot of money to speak of. We have always just been comfortable.”

  “Yes, I know. Adam works hard for what we have and still has time to grow a garden and raise cattle.”

  “Surely he hasn’t taken on those tasks while still working a job in town?”

  “He is a saddle maker. His saddles are sold for a very good price. So we have no troubles. Our home is securely built, our children are fed every night, we could not ask for more, could we?”

  “You have been blessed with more,” Molly replied. “I am glad to see it. You deserve to be happy. You are a good woman.”

  Alice smiled wide. “You are too, my dear. Now what shall we do first?”

  “I heard your children are home. Are they here?”

  Alice looked through the window as if the children were on the front lawn. “Oh, they are out there in the woods, traipsing around. I’m just hoping they don’t get hurt. It happens, you know. Especially if Max isn’t paying attention. He doesn’t realize how strong he is getting and there are some things he can do that his little sisters can’t. Of course, he knows that about Carrie. She’s just a baby. But when he gets to poking Riley’s nerves, there can be chaos. It’s really something to see, but I hope you won’t see it while you are here.” Alice laughed. “I might be wishing on a shooting star, hoping my children won’t hurt each other, even if it’s unintentional.”

  “That’s sweet.” Molly turned to look out the window again but Mark and his wagon were long gone. “Tell me, Alice, do you think I am getting too old to marry again?”

  Alice raised her eyebrows. “Married? You want to get married?”

  “What I really want is a family of my own. A husband and children. Or at least one child. I… I wrote you so many letters expressing this that I never sent to you. I wanted to talk to you about it in person.”

  “Do you have a man you are interested in?” Alice shook her head. “Oh, you couldn’t have or you wouldn’t have left Virginia. Or do you and you are running away from that risk?”

  Molly shook her head. “I’m not running away from anything or anyone. I am running to someone or something – a new life for me. And I wonder if I am too old to be thinking like a girl of 19 or 20.”

  “Just because you are older doesn’t mean you should give up on finding a new love,” Alice said, wisely. “You are still young at heart and you’re only 34 for goodness sake, you aren’t an old maid yet. I know you will find love again, if that’s what you truly want.”

  “I loved Bill with all my heart,” Molly said. “But it’s been five years and I am lonely. I decided years ago that I would spend my life in mourning for my husband, but… well, I find I’m just too lonely for that. Bill left me with his wealth and I am not using it for any kind of fun or adventure. I’ve been moping around for years, missing him and wishing things could be the way they were before. But I’ve come to accept that can never happen and I need to move on. Does that make sense?”

  “Oh, yes, of course it does, Molly. I understand you. And I agree that you should be living your life, not just sitting around existing. You need some fun and happiness. We all do.”

  Molly nodded. “Yes, exactly. So I am determined to do that now. I have all I need. I don’t need for anything other than the love of a man. And that’s more of a desire, as I can do just fine without one.”

  Alice laughed. “That’s obvious, Miss Molly. I like that. Do they still call you Molly B in Virginia?”

  “Yes, of course. I like Miss Molly, too. I don’t think there’s a need to tack on the B now that I am nowhere near my aunt.”

  “Yes, I agree. Miss Molly, it is.”

  Molly giggled. “Mark wouldn’t tell me his last name. What is it?”

  Alice looked at her, blinking slowly. Her face went blank for a moment before she stared at Molly closely. “I… I don’t know what his last name is. Oh my. How embarrassing. He has always just been Mark.”

  “How odd. What an odd thing to do. Only go around with people knowing your first name.”

  “I’m sure there are plenty of people who do know what it is. Adam does, I’m certain of it. We’ll ask him this evening when he gets home from work.” Alice giggled. “How strange that I’ve known him for so many years and I’ve never learned his last name.”

  “He is our age, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, he is. I think he’s 35 this year. We like to throw him a party on his birthday because he’s alone all the time. He stays coming around quite a lot.”

  “He admitted that to me,” Molly said with a nod. “He said that he is always around and that I might tire of seeing him all the time.”

  Alice snorted. “Silly man. They don’t know anything, do they?”

  Molly laughed. “I don’t know about that. My Bill knew a lot about a lot. He was such an intelligent man. I was always in awe of his thinking powers. It made me a little jealous sometimes that my mind can’t work as fast as his.” She shook her head. “He was an amazing man.”

  Alice reached over and put her arm around Molly’s shoulders. She pulled her in for a side-hug and rested her head against Molly’s. “You’re going to find love again, Molly. He was a good man, like you say, and he wouldn’t want you to be lonely the rest of your life. He’d want a good man to love you like you should be loved.”

  Molly
nodded, feeling tears rise to her eyes. She blinked them back. “Yes, he would.”

  Alice pulled away and lifted Molly’s chin with two fingers. “We’re going to start on that plan tonight, what do you say? I have a little face powder and lipstick you can use, if you like. It might put a little more color to your face than those big eyes and red cheeks.”

  “Do you have something that will hide my redness every time I blush?” Molly asked.

  Alice smiled. “I might. I just might.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  DINNER AT THE COLLINS RANCH

  DINNER AT THE COLLINS RANCH

  Mark was excited as he rode his horse down the dirt path toward the Collins' house. He had worked at lightning speed all day to make sure he was able to go home and get cleaned up before he returned to Alice and Adam’s house. For the first time in many years, he felt something good coming his way. Romantically, anyway. He’d always been pretty happy with his life before meeting Molly.

  Now, she was all he could think about. He replayed their meeting at the hotel over and over in his mind. It was his only true memory and he was anxious to make more with her. He wondered what the evening would be like. He wondered if Adam would take notice. He wondered what Molly thought of him. Could she return the same feelings?

  It was – so far – a mystery. He was determined to find out the truth. As soon as he was able. He wasn’t the kind of man to take important things slowly. He had a feeling, from talking to Molly earlier in the day, that she wasn’t the kind of woman who would drag her heels. She seemed highly intelligent to him, a go-getter. A woman who didn’t need a man to motivate her. It was clear that if she had ever been that way, it would have been her husband she had relied on. Since his death, Mark was certain things had changed for her.

  He shook his head. How was he to really know her thoughts and feelings or behaviors, for that matter? He didn’t know her at all. From what she had said, Alice and Adam didn’t really know her, either. However, her fiery attitude and her bright smile were enough to attract Mark and make him want to get to know her better.

  He felt his anticipation growing as he neared the Collins’ home. He couldn’t keep a smile from his face. He was going to have to do better than that, he chided himself. She would think he was a lunatic if he came on too strong. He pulled back his excitement and calmed the smile on his face so that it would look friendly and cordial instead of a desperate cry for a woman’s attention.

  Instead of leaving Journey, his horse, in front of the house, he went directly to the stable. The boy Adam had hired was there, brushing down another horse. He looked up when Mark came to the open stable doors and looked in.

  “Hello, there!” The boy, Heath, gave him a big smile.

  “Hello, Heath. How has your day been?”

  “I’m ‘bout to go on home, sir, but I’ll be glad to brush your horse down before I go.”

  “Journey would like that, wouldn’t you, girl?” Mark leaned forward in his saddle and patted the horse on the neck. Journey swayed her head back and forth and snorted.

  “See? She’d love it.” Mark smiled at Heath.

  “It’s not a problem at all, sir.”

  Mark slid down and Heath walked toward him to take the reins.

  “I’ll take good care of her, sir.” Heath said seriously, looking up at the large horse.

  “I know you will. Here’s a coin for your trouble.” Mark pulled a silver dollar from his pocket and handed it to the boy. Heath looked at the coin with wide eyes.

  “A dollar! I couldn’t accept that much from you, sir.”

  Mark shook his head. “I have no family to spend it on. Who better to give it to than a fine young man like yourself? Take it and be on with you.”

  Heath laughed, accepting the coin graciously and waving frantically as Mark walked up to the house. “Thank you, sir! Thank you!”

  Mark lifted his hand to knock on the door just as it was opened. Adam almost ran him over before stopping abruptly and laughing.

  “Timing is everything, Mark!” Adam said as a greeting. “It’s good to see you! Come on in. I was just on my way out to pay Heath so that he can leave.”

  “Good to see you, too,” Mark replied.

  “The ladies are inside, go on in.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Adam moved to go back where Mark had just come from. Mark went through the door into the front room of the house.

  “Mark! How good to see you!” Alice stood up from her chair and greeted Mark with a hug. She returned to her seat and gestured to the couch, next to Molly. “Please have a seat. I hope we don’t bore you with our girl talk.”

  “We were actually talking about family stuff, anyway,” Molly said, giving Mark a bright smile. “Not really girl stuff. Did you know we have a famous cousin?”

  “No. Really?” Mark had taken his hat off and was clutching it in his hands. He took a few steps to the couch and sat down next to Molly, loosening his grip on his hat. He felt an immediate comfortableness when he sat down. Molly continued to talk excitedly.

  “We do! Really!” She looked at Alice, whose beaming smile took up most of her face. “Well, I suppose we should come clean and acknowledge that he’s not really our cousin. He’s our grandfather’s cousin. He is a famous violinist.”

  “Are you planning to tell me his name?” Mark teased.

  Molly laughed. “Oh! Of course, his name is Martin Marsick. He is a famous violin player. He’s traveling all over Europe and has even come here to America to perform! I don’t think he’s been much on the west coast but I do know he came through Virginia and did a special concert with a very famous conductor… I don’t remember the conductor’s name though. Do you, Alice?”

  Alice shook her head. “I have no recollection of even seeing him in concert, Molly, if you want the truth. Being related to someone famous is all I can say about the subject.”

  Molly continued to giggle, her eyes turning back to Mark. “He is a fascinating man! Very charming and handsome.”

  “Well, that is quite interesting. Do you think he will ever come to the west coast to perform?”

  “I don’t know,” Molly admitted. “I wouldn’t even know where to write a letter and post it to, to ask him such a question. He moves around quite a lot.”

  “You could send a letter to his wife,” Alice suggested. “Surely she doesn’t go on his tours with him.”

  “I don’t know. But I suppose it would be worth a try. Good thinking, Alice.” Molly smiled at her.

  “Why, thank you, dear,” Alice replied. “I didn’t know you had seen him in concert.”

  “He came through our little town twice.” She looked at Mark. “I’m sure the only reason he stopped there was because of us relatives. You know, there is no hall for him to perform at in Allentown. There is only a small community theater, where the local dramatic group and the children perform plays for the citizens a few times a year and hosts parties to celebrate the holidays. As well as a few other community programs. But he performed there with a quartet to please us all and it was quite lovely! He even stayed at my mother’s home for a night!”

  “Well, that is simply amazing, my dear. I’m so glad you had the chance to meet him.” Mark replied, impressed. “Especially since he probably won’t come all the way out west, even if he has relatives here.”

  “He might!” Molly beamed. “He just might! It all depends on his schedule. I’ll write his wife and we may actually see him here someday!”

  “How delightful!” Alice clapped her hands together lightly. “How very delightful.”

  Adam opened the front door and stepped in. He was carrying several logs for the fire. Mark jumped up. “Let me help you with that, Adam.” He grabbed three large logs from the pile Adam was carrying and went quickly to drop them into the lit fireplace. He carefully avoided the flames that were already there, trying to position the wood just right so that they wouldn’t burn too quickly. Adam dropped the other logs he
was holding onto a nearly flat wire basket next to the fireplace.

  “Is it going to get cold tonight, Adam?” Alice asked, eyeing the load of firewood. Adam nodded.

  “According to the almanac and old man Guthrie, it’s supposed to get real cold tonight.”

  “Cold enough to snow?” Molly asked, widening her eyes. Alice smiled at her.

  “It rarely snows here, Molly. We have extremely hot days and frightfully cold nights through most of the winter. But this is desert land and it just doesn’t snow very often here.”

  “So, you get to experience the cold but not the joy of snow?”

  “It’s snowed a few times in my life,” Mark said. “And I didn’t enjoy any moment of it.”

  They all laughed and Mark continued. “I am telling the truth! It has been several years since the last time I saw white cover the ground and I’m telling you,” he directed his words to Molly. “It was just like dust on the ground but it was white. It was cold, sure, but not enough for that snow to stick around. It just laid there like a white dust blanket until the next time a cloud moved away from the sun. Then it was water. It left a good slush all over my land and I wasn’t able to do much with it for at least a couple weeks. I didn’t like it at all. I’m not wishing for any snow.”

  “I like snow,” Molly said. “I’m not keen on cold weather, but I’ve grown up with enough of it and snow to boot. So I suppose you could say I’m used to it being around. And it is quite pretty when you look out the window and see nothing but white outside. And it always gets so quiet when it snows. It’s as if everything is hibernating. Everything.”

  “That’s because nobody wants to be out in it.” Mark laughed. Adam joined him and nodded.

  “I have to agree with Mark. It’s not just the people who don’t want to be out in it. It’s the horses. In fact, I’d be willing to bet good money that people are out more often, walking and playing in the snow, than those on horseback or trying to get a carriage or coach through the stuff. I’ve been on the East coast during a snowstorm and unless you are used to it, it can be pretty tough to deal with.”