Mark shrugged. “Why be sorry now? You laughed then and you’re still laughing. And if you recall, I was laughing, too.”
“After a fair amount of cussing and swearing.” Alice added. Mark’s face flushed for a moment.
“I’m gonna walk to the hotel. You two go on and I’ll meet you there.”
“All right.”
The horses moved slowly and Mark stepped back out of the road to walk down the wooden pathway to the hotel, which was only a block down from him. He watched as the carriage pulled to a stop and the women stepped down. He kept his eyes on Molly. He already saw a change in the woman and he’d only known her for a day. When he’d seen her at the hotel yesterday, she seemed reserved, a quiet woman observing everyone and everything around her. Through the course of their dinner last night and her appearance today, it was apparent to him that she was long overdue for this change she made in her life.
Alice stepped down, glancing back to where Mark was in the distance.
“I think he likes you, Molly,” Alice said quietly though Mark was too far away to hear her even in a normal voice.
“Yes, you’ve mentioned that. I’m going to take my time, Alice. Don’t be pushy.”
“I’m not trying to be pushy. I’m just reminding you.”
“You don’t have to. I want to meet more Wickenburg residents. I don’t want to limit myself to you, Adam, and Mark.” Molly pulled on her white gloves. They were sticky and she didn’t want to wear them anymore. It was too warm for them. Alice glanced down at her hands.
“I told you there was no need for those, Molly. Now you see why. It’s too hot for that kind of thing. You’ll regret the heavy dress you have on, too.”
Molly shook her head. “I think I might need to stay with you after all, so you can teach me how to live in this environment.” They exchanged smiles. The bell above their heads tinkled loudly when they went through the front door of the hotel. “Helen?” Alice called out. She and Molly exchanged pleased looks. The aroma of various foods floated through the air, making them realize just how hungry they were.
“Oh, my,” Molly breathed.
“Yes, she is an amazing cook.”
“What does she do with what is left after?”
“She gives it away, I suppose. To the people at the church or the schoolhouse or the boarding house. The price she asks for is a pittance so I don’t see a problem giving her something for her hard work.”
“Does she offer this every day?”
“Near every day that I’ve been in town, yes.” Alice put her hand around Molly’s arm and led her down the hall into a room Molly hadn’t seen before. It was long and narrow. There were tables on one side holding various bowls and platters of steaming hot food. The other side was filled with tables and chairs to eat in comfort. Utensils sat on the tables, as well as one plate and one bowl.
There was no one else in the room.
“Let’s sit over here.” Alice pulled on Molly’s arm again and they took a small round table with three chairs by the window in the back of the room. “Mark will see us when he comes in. This is perfect for us.”
“Where is Helen?”
“I’m sure she’ll be along in a minute. There will be more people coming. We got here very early. She’s probably finishing a dessert of some kind.”
“Oh, my,” Molly said again. She watched the door for Mark. Within moments, the door opened but it wasn’t Mark who came through. It was a tall man in a dark business suit that looked rather worn at the seams. He looked around the room, eyeing the food tables hungrily. When he spotted Alice and Molly at the back corner table, he lifted a hand in greeting. Alice waved back.
She leaned toward Molly and whispered, “That’s Nathan Trembley. He’s the banker, well, one of them.”
“He looks like he is trying very hard to be elegant. He has a nicely trimmed beard and mustache.”
“He takes care of himself. He’s a lonely man, a widower. His wife died a few years back of some mysterious disease. I’ve always felt very sorry for him. He has a son, but they don’t speak.”
“Oh, that is a shame.”
“I think his son blames him for the death of his mother. Do you remember how Nathan acted toward Adam when Holly died? It’s the same kind of thing. It broke Mr. Trembley’s heart though. I remember his wife and when they were a family. They were very happy. He doesn’t look like the same man now.”
“I am not surprised. That is a lot to go through.”
“It is. And the saddest part is that it’s not going to stop. Neither one will reach out to the other.” Alice shook her head. “Such a shame.”
“Where does his son live?”
Alice looked at her. “Right here in Wickenburg.”
“Oh, no.” Molly shook her head. “That is a shame.”
“There’s Mark.” Alice stood up and waved at him when he came through the door. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand. Alice sat back down when he approached the table.
“Sorry that took me so long,” he said, sitting in the third chair. “I wanted to find one of these advertisements for the Chili cook off.” He smiled at Molly. “It’s this weekend. You’ve got to come and try my chili. It’s famous here in Wickenburg.”
“And Louisville, too, right, Mark?” Alice grinned. He looked at her.
“I suppose so.”
“He traveled to Louisville for their chili cook off, too. He won a prize!”
“How wonderful!” Molly exclaimed. “I would love to try your chili.”
“I might need a few hands to help me make it.” Mark sat back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest, a wicked grin on his lips and a sparkle in his eye. “You know of anyone who might be available?”
Molly looked at Alice. “I think he’s asking for our help.”
“I know he’s asking for your help.” Alice answered with a grin.
Molly turned her eyes to Mark. “Are you asking for my help?”
“Only if you feel like taste testing the best chili in Arizona and spending time in good company.”
Molly smiled wide. “I would love to help you with your chili cook off competition.”
“Everyone in Wickenburg has a chili recipe of their own,” Alice said. “But truly Mark’s is the tastiest. In my opinion.”
“I look forward to it.”
CHAPTER NINE
NEW HOME
NEW HOME
After eating, the trio decided to make a trip to Mark’s property so Molly could get a look at the house. As Alice’s carriage moved swiftly down the dirt road, Mark’s thoughts were heavy. He thought about the work pressing down on him. He didn’t have time to go to lunch or take a ride out to his land. However, every time he glanced at Molly, he couldn’t help thinking it was worth it.
“You look worried, Mark.” Alice leaned forward to give him a look of concern. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, Alice.”
She surprised him by lifting one hand and pressing it against his forehead between his eyebrows. “Look at that deep furrow. I know that look. You are worried about something. Tell me what it is, Mark.”
Mark waved her hand away. “Stop that, Alice. Adam is your husband. You can poke at him all you want.”
Alice sat back, shaking her head with a smile. “Oh, Mark. I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy.”
“I just have a project I need to get back to. I am a little pressed for time.”
“Why didn’t you say that? We could have waited to go to the house.” Molly joined Alice in her concern. “I don’t want to put you out, Mark. God forbids.”
Mark shook his head at her. “No, I think this is a good thing. I want to help you settle in and feel welcome here in Wickenburg. I’ll be able to work for the next couple days and make up for lost time.”
“Are you sure?” Alice asked.
He nodded. “I’m sure. We’re coming up on it now. It won’t take long.”
Molly turned in her seat to gaze
out at a small yellow house in the distance. “Is that it?” she asked, a bit breathlessly.
Mark also looked at the little house. “Yes, that’s it. I know it looks small. It’s got a lot of space inside though, so don’t let it fool you.”
Molly pulled in a deep breath. “I think it’s just lovely! Just perfect!”
Mark laughed. “You haven’t seen the inside yet.”
“I don’t have to. I love it already.”
“Well, let’s go in so you can love the inside, too.”
Mark felt a strong sense of satisfaction, seeing the look on Molly’s face. Her eyes were wide and she looked excited. She climbed down from the wagon without waiting for help from him and hurried to the small white fence that surrounded the house, leaving enough room between it and the house for a nice lawn. She pushed open the small gate and walked up the path to the porch of the house, which consisted of a small deck surrounded by arched pillars. The deck was white, but the rest of the house was a bright, pleasant shade of yellow.
“How lovely! How very lovely!” She reached forward and opened the door, going into the front room without hesitation.
Alice looked back at Mark. “I think you could ask for a hundred dollars a month and she would give it to you for this house. She has money, you know. She might buy it if you want to sell it.”
Mark raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”
“Come on,” Alice pulled on his arm and they went in the house after Molly.
Alice looked around the front room, which was furnished down to the pictures hanging on the wall. “She is right.” Alice turned her eyes up to him. “This is lovely. I didn’t know you had this little gem hiding here on your land. How did I miss it?”
“Adam knows about it.” Mark said. “I guess he just never thought to tell you. He’s been here. I don’t know if he even remembers it’s here, but he knows.”
Alice shrugged. “I think Molly would be very happy here.”
“I would!” Molly came around the corner from the kitchen. “This is a wonderful little cottage. I want to rent it from you. It doesn’t matter how much I have to pay for it.”
“I was just telling him you might want to buy it.”
Molly smiled. “Are you selling it?”
“I wasn’t planning on selling it.” He moved his eyes from one woman to the other. “I just want to rent it. I want it to stay in the family… if I ever have a family.”
“You will.” Alice nodded up at him. “I’m sure of it. If that’s what you want. God has blessed you with many things, Mark. I’m sure He won’t forget about that one.”
Mark smiled at her. “I sure hope so. Listen, I’m gonna get back to work. You two feel free to stay here and make yourselves at home. I’m sure we’ll get in touch soon about when you want to stay here.”
“Oh, I’d like to stay here starting tonight, if that’s okay,” Molly said, dreading another night on the couch at the Collins home. “The bed in there is very appealing to me.”
Mark nodded. “In that case, you two take care of whatever you need to take care of and I’ll just come here after work. Maybe we can have dinner and discuss our business arrangement.”
Molly smiled. “I’d like that.”
Mark tilted his hat to the ladies and turned to go back out. He’d attached Journey’s reins to the back of the carriage so that he would be able to leave before them if he needed to. He patted the horse on the neck, untying the reins at the same time.
“How are you, girl? You doing good, girl? Come on, let’s get back to work.”
He pulled himself up into the saddle and turned Journey to head back to the workshop. He calculated it in his mind and he hadn’t really lost too much time. Seeing the look on Molly’s face when she saw the house made up for how hard he was going to have to work to catch up.
Molly looked through each room, scanning the interior of the yellow house with delighted eyes. “Alice, this is just perfect. Look, the bedroom is furnished and the comforter, why, it look so soft and comfortable. There’s no dust anywhere! The girl who comes to clean must be very good.”
“I never knew about this place, Molly. I am so surprised to find out about it. Mark can really keep a secret! I’ve known him for 20 years.” Alice bent over to inspect the fireplace. It looked ready to light, with fresh logs on the grate and only a small amount of ash in the bottom. “I guess she’s a chimney sweep, too.”
“Or no one has burnt a fire here in a long time,” Molly chuckled. Alice smiled at her.
“Yes, that too, I suppose.”
“Is there food in the kitchen?” Molly asked more to herself than to Alice. She turned and went back through the swinging door to the kitchen. Alice came in behind her. The kitchen was spacious considering the small exterior of the house. There was plenty of counter space, a pump for water with a large porcelain basin underneath it, a table with four chairs, an icebox, and a fairly large pot-bellied stove.
“Look at this!” Molly exclaimed. She had pushed up on a handle and revealed a stone oven built into the wall. “This is simply… I have no words, Alice. What a lovely little home this is.”
“I think you’ll be very happy here, Molly,” Alice replied. She was a little envious and vowed to start doing some baking and cooking here at Molly’s for a while. The thought made her smile. “I hope you understand this means I’m going to be visiting a lot more.”
The women laughed.
“I will pay Mark anything to stay here. I’m so glad he offered.”
“I am, too. But I think all you have to do is bat those pretty eyes and you could rent this house for a dollar a month!”
“I don’t want to cheat him, Alice,” Molly replied, opening the cabinets one by one. There were several jars and fresh garden vegetables in several. “It’s like he was expecting company.”
“He does have some traveling friends that come by several times a year. I never thought to ask if they stayed at the hotel. It wasn’t something I thought was my business to know. I guess they stay here.”
Molly chuckled. “Not anymore.”
“You might like them. Don’t say no until you’ve met them.”
“Oh, there isn’t enough room for three people in this house. That’s what…” Molly sat at the table and tapped on another chair so that Alice would sit down, too. “Before I left Virginia, Alice, I had a long talk with my niece, Rebecca. I told you she and her husband and their children moved into my house quite a few months back.”
Alice nodded.
“I have never been by myself, not truly alone. I feel peace in this house. I don’t want it disrupted. I want to… I want to be alone for a while.”
“You’ve been thinking about our conversation?”
“Yes, and I’ve had discussions with others, in Virginia, of course, like Rebecca and my aunt Sophia. She was my father’s brother’s aunt by marriage and we got close. You don’t know her. She lost her husband and they had been married much, much longer than Bill and I were married. She told me that I would be surprised by how much peace and quiet can do for the soul. Especially one that is aching. I know I lost Bill many years ago but I’ve never really let go of him. I need to think about what is good for me right now and my aunt and Rebecca think that’s spending time by myself.”
“You can do whatever makes you comfortable, Miss Molly,” Alice said gently, resting one hand on her cousin’s. “You know we will help you however we can. If you need anything, you must let us know. All right?”
“Yes, I know I can count on you, Alice. It’s strange how I feel so close to you already and we have been apart for so long.”
“I feel the same way.”
“Could it be because we are blood-related?”
Alice shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a good possibility. By the way, you must come and see mama and papa. I know they will want to see you and give you hugs.”
“Two big hugs from my aunt and uncle? Of course. But not yet. I want to relax for a while. I think I might b
uild a fire and sit here in my new home.”
“You’re already attached to it.” Alice laughed. “How delightful. I’m so glad. But I will miss having you at the house. It only took one day for me to realize how special you are, my dear.” She squeezed Molly’s hand.
“I am glad we are cousins, Alice. I’m glad I decided to come here to Wickenburg.”
“I am, too. Very much.”
“Just don’t be a matchmaker too soon, okay? There are other men in Wickenburg I might be interested in. And for now, as I said, I want to be alone, just by myself, just for a little while.”
“You mentioned that you wanted to start a family and that you were pressured for time. That’s the only reason why I would mention Mark… or any other man… right now. I thought you were in a hurry to start a family.”
“I want to fall in love,” Molly admitted. “And yes, I hope to have a family. I’m not talking about taking a long time by myself. I just want a little time. I don’t know how long. Just a little time.”
Alice nodded. “Of course. I will support whatever you decide, Molly. I won’t interfere with your love life at all.”
Molly smiled. “You can, a little. If you want. Just not… not a lot… and not yet…”
They both laughed. “I don’t think you know what you want, my dear, do you?”
Molly shook her head. “I guess not.”
“All right then. I’ll be careful. I only mentioned Mark because it seems like fate is pushing you two together. He is the first person you see when you come to Wickenburg…”
“He wasn’t the first person. Ben Campbell was the first person.”
Alice waved the fact away, shaking her head. “He was one of the first people you met, he brings you back to my house, he comes for dinner, he has lunch with us and now you’re going to rent his house. It seems like fate wants you to explore that.”
“Fate has nothing to do with it,” Molly said. “Are you going to be easy with me, cousin?”
Alice nodded. “Of course. I would never do anything to embarrass you.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I don’t want to be embarrassed. Although it is not easy to embarrass me. I don’t do anything to embarrass myself and if someone I’m with does, it is not me who perpetrated it. Am I right?”
The Pursuit (Family of Love Series) (A Western Romance Story) Page 7
