Pushing the decision off, he climbed back on his horse and set off for home. When he sat down to write the letter he’d make the decision. He was sure it would come to him then. Now, the most pressing thing was figuring out what to do with his son until he could get this new governess here.
He sighed. He’d never wanted to have children but his wife Ida had insisted. She’d said that having a child would bring them closer but it hadn’t. Her time and attention had turned to the baby and completely away from Calvin. It had driven him to work and now he wasn’t sure how not to work.
Running a hand over his face he pushed the thoughts away. It was his life now, and there was no changing that.
Chapter 2
Shona stepped from the train onto the cold platform. It was still early fall but she hadn’t expected the cold to be quite as intense as it had been the last few days of her travel. Granted, it wasn’t nearly as cold as New York, but she still lifted her free hand to rub her arms.
Swallowing nervously, she searched the platform. Mr. Calvin Wilkes had rushed her out of New York before the month’s time and before the man came to collect from her. But now she felt the weight of her hasty decision. He had barely said anything to her about the arrangement, but she assumed they would be married soon—if not that very day. Wasn’t that what happened when you were a mail order bride?
Her eyes collided a man walking toward her, his hand resting on the shoulder of a young boy who looked very much like the man. Father and son?
“Are you, by chance, Miss O’Malley?”
Her heart thudded in her chest when he addressed her by name. So this was Calvin. But who was the boy? He’d made no mention of a son.
“Aye, I am. You’re Mr. Wilkes?”
“Yes.” His eyes narrowed, assessing her and she felt her indignation rise. She hadn’t lied about who she was. Of Irish descent, she’d come across the Atlantic with her sister’s, both of which were married now, and she’d stayed single, preferring not to attach herself unnecessarily. A fact that now had her regretting her hasty agreement to marry a man sight unseen.
It wasn’t that he was unpleasant to look at. Quite the opposite actually, but with the presence of the boy she realized she knew very little about the man who had brought her out here. Had she stepped into a worse situation than what she’d endured in New York? That seemed unlikely though, for Mr. Wilkes looked clean, pulled together, and decidedly handsome.
“I…I’m not sure what to do at this point,” she said. Shona found that honesty was always the best in an awkward situation.
“Come with me, we have much to discuss.”
He turned on his heel, the boy looking back up at her before his attention was jerked forward by his father’s hand on his back.
Well then, she thought.
Straightening her shoulders, she followed the man down the busy street until he turned into a hotel with fancy, scrolling lettering on the glass front and the look of riches inside.
He turned to her. “We’ll discuss the terms over supper if that’s all right with you.”
“Fine by me, I’m famished.” And she was, though she wasn’t sure she knew how to act in such an establishment as the fancy hotel.
He shot a direct gaze at his son and she overheard the word behave. She smirked. Though she’d never had children of her own, she’d been around her sister’s children before they moved away and she’d grown up with younger siblings that were still in Ireland. Places like this were not meant for kids, especially not young boys.
As they waited to be seated she looked down at the boy, his luminous eyes never leaving hers. “And what might be your name, lad?”
“Levi.”
“That’s a good, strong Biblical name. It’s nice to meet your acquaintance Master Levi.”
“You speak funny,” the boy said.
She grinned but his father shot him a look.
“’Tis true, I do. I’m from Ireland.”
“Where’s that?”
She was about to answer whey they were shown toward their seats and she promised to tell him more about it later.
Her thoughts flew in every direction though. Why hadn’t she known about the boy? He was clearly Calvin’s son. And what was there to discuss as the man had said? Why was he being so cryptic?
As they sat though, Calvin turned toward her and his next words at once answered her questions and brought more to mind.
“I’m afraid I’ve brought you here on false pretenses.”
***
Calvin contemplated how he would break the news to Shona O’Malley, but he began to get the feeling that she wouldn’t take anything but the straight truth.
“I’m sorry…what false pretenses are you talking about.”
Her soft accent floated toward him and created a direct contrast to the harsh chatter around them. This was the moment he’d been dreading and yet the test of what kind of woman Shona was. He’d been careful to word his letter as a direct reply to her advertisement but not to promise her marriage. He wasn’t sure if she’d picked up on his subtle wording or not, but by the look on her face she hadn’t noticed anything.
His gut clenched but he forged ahead. “I’m not so much in need of a wife as I am a governess. For Levi.”
He turned to look at his son who was making a tower out of the rolls the waiter had brought them.
“A…governess?” She blinked and her eyes flicking to Levi then back to Calvin. “I’m sorry…did you not write to me from my ad in the Matrimonial Journal?”
He cringed. It was a valid point but he hoped she’d over look that. “I did…”
“And yet, you were lying.”
Her blunt words felt like a slap. “I prefer to think of it as revealing only a portion of my intensions.”
“I’ll say,” she said, leaning back against her chair. Her cheeks flushed pink, a direct contrast with her red hair. The whole look offset her emerald green eyes. “Well, if this is how you’re teaching your son then I’d say you do need a governess.”
His mouth dropped open. It was the last thing he’d expected her to say. “I—I…” he wasn’t sure how to finish his sentence.
“So, let me understand this properly.” She leaned forward and he was unable to escape her harsh gaze. “You want me to look after ‘im while you what…go about your business I suppose? And then I’m to do what? Be at your beck and call?”
“Of course not!” The way she said it made her sound like some type of floosy and he quickly straightened, checking to make sure no one else was listening to their conversation. “You’ll have your own room and will be treated as…staff.” He swallowed, pulling his shoulders back. “I run a very busy ranch and am gone most of the day. I merely expect you to watch over Levi during the day.”
She wrapped her arms in front of her. “I’ve never…” she shook her head. “I’m insulted, that’s what.”
He wanted to feel indignant, but this was the risk he’d taken. There was a chance kindness would turn her around…maybe.
“Look, Miss O’Malley,” he purposefully softened his tone, leaning forward and holding her gaze. “I apologize for the subterfuge. It’s been…difficult to find adequate help to watch over Levi. Ever since my wife died two years ago I’ve tried to do the best I can but…” There was a subtle softening of her features and, though he felt despicable for playing on her compassion as a woman, he forged ahead. “I’ve realized I can’t do it alone. I knew no other way than to find someone who would be willing to come out West.”
He held his breath, waiting for her response. Would she give in to his pleading? Would he have to bribe her? What would it take to make this fiery woman give in and agree to at least try to take care of Levi as a governess?
“Fine.” Her word was anything but soft, yet it was all he wanted to hear.
“You’ll do it?”
“I will. I expect you’ll be paying me though.”
“Of course,” he said, briefly wondering if she would l
eave when she had enough money to.
The waiter arrived with their food and conversation was effectively cut off, but Calvin couldn’t help but feel a bit of triumph. Yes, he’d lied to get her out here, but he felt as if the situation had worked itself out.
Shona O’Malley would have good employ, Levi would have a governess again, and he could go back to doing what he wanted—no, needed—to do: work.
Chapter 3
Shona jolted upright in the chair where she’d dozed off during the afternoon naptime. She had the feeling that something was wrong but she wasn’t sure what that was. Then she felt the movement again. It came from her pocket. Swallowing, she peered down at her apron pocket just in time to see two golden eyes peering back up at her.
She let out a yelp of surprise but didn’t move just as Levi burst into laughter from a chair he was hiding behind.
“Oh Levi,” she said in a singsong voice. “Did you leave something of yours in my pocket.”
His boyish face peeked out from behind the chair. “Aren’t you going to scream and run around now?”
Ah, so that was his plan, she thought. Well, he wouldn’t get the satisfaction. Thankfully she’d grown up with brothers and knew their tricks.
“Why would I want to do that? I’d scare the poor thing.” Slowly she reached down and extracted the frog from her pocket. “Awe, he’s a cutie, this one.”
“What?” Levi charged from behind the chair, little fists going to his hips. “You’re a girl. You’re not supposed to think frogs are cute.”
“My brothers and I used to catch these all the time.” She stroked the back of it and it let out a ribbet in what she wanted to think was pleasure.
“You had brothers?”
“I did.”
“Huh.” He folded his little arms over his chest and stared her down. “Want to see something?”
She had a feeling she would regret agreeing, but nodded. “All right.”
He turned and headed for the door and she followed, wondering what he would have in store for her now. Outside they walked around the corner of the house to the pond where she released the frog.
“Give me one second,” Levi said then disappeared into the underbrush.
She wondered what in the world he could be looking for but turned her attention back to the pond and her thoughts. She’d been at the ranch house for two weeks now and, though it had been a rough transition; she’d made friends with Mrs. Otero and found her living quarters to be much nicer than what she’d had in New York. The pay was better as well.
The only thing that wasn’t better was her boss.
Mr. Calvin Wilkes was, in a word, absent. He woke up early, was gone before Levi was awake, and came back just before Levi went to bed. She wasn’t sure how he was functioning on such little sleep and such large amounts of work, but it wasn’t her place to comment.
The only feeling she couldn’t quite escape was that of disappointment. She had come out West to marry. It felt absolutely ridiculous, knowing that she’d never desired to be married before, but now that the option was no longer before her, she wondered if she’d missed something by agreeing to stay as governess.
She’d hardly be able to meet an eligible man while taking care of Levi on the ranch. Though it hadn’t passed her notice that Calvin was a handsome man. There wasn’t any hope there though since he hadn’t paid her any more attention since she’d come—
Suddenly, Levi popped up in front of her holding out a snake.
Shona was so startled that she took a step back, but her foot slid on the muddy bank of the pond and, before she could stop herself, she fell backwards. The sound of the splash was nothing compared to the sound of her scream as she crashed into the small pond.
Cold water flooded around her and she flailed her arms to stay afloat despite her dress clinging to her legs. Thankfully she’d learned to swim as a little girl on the banks of the Bann River, but she hadn’t prepared to go for a dip today.
Thrashing her arms and legs and coughing out mouthfuls of the murky water, she managed to make it to the side of the pond to crawl out amidst the sounds of laugher coming from Levi.
“Levi Nathanael Wilkes what have you done!”
The laughter stopped abruptly and Shona looked up into Calvin’s face, intensely aware of how disheveled she looked with her soaked dress clinging to her and pond scum stuck in her hair.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, shooting a look over at his son. “Why don’t you get cleaned up and we’ll talk.”
She had half a mind to call off their arrangement, but something in his gaze stayed her decision. It was the look of desperation.
***
Calvin felt as if steam would shoot out of his ears at any moment. “What were you thinking? I’ve told you time and time again that ladies do not like snakes! You caused poor Miss O’Malley to fall in the pond. What if she hadn’t known how to swim? She could have died and it would have been you fault.”
The little boy gasped.
“Oh please,” came Shona’s lilting accent. “’Twasn’t that bad. He meant no harm, I’m sure.” She sent a pointed look at his son then turned back toward him. “Go easy on ‘im.”
He didn’t feel like going easy on the boy—he should know better—but she was right, he was just a child.
“Go to your room son. You won’t have supper tonight and I want you to think about what you’ve done.”
“Yes sir,” Levi said. His little head dropped as he stomped up the steps.
Calvin let out a forceful breath of air and ran a hand through his hair. “I cannot begin to say how sorry I am.”
“Please, sir, don’t be too hard on him. I don’t fancy another swim anytime soon, but he didn’t do it out of malice. A least I don’t think so.” Her grin surprised him. No governess had acted the way she did when his son clearly overstepped his bounds.
“He should know better…”
“He needs to be taught, that’s all. I’m sure if you spent some time with him…” her words trailed off but he caught her intention.
“I barely have time to sleep as it is. Let alone spend time with that unruly boy.”
“Sir,” she said, her shock coming out clearly in her words. “You canna mean that.”
He eyed her. She stood tall, unafraid of speaking back to him. She had changed into dry clothes yet the memory of the drenched dress hugging her womanly curves momentarily distracted him.
He cleared his throat. “You don’t know what it’s been like.” Turning away from her, he walked toward his desk to shuffle through the papers scattered there. “And call me Calvin,” he added. He didn’t like the distance the word sir created between them.
“Isn’t there a way for you to…slow down?”
She’d barely been there two weeks and she already had him pegged. It was true that he worked a lot, but he had to. The ranch was busy and needed his oversight.
“You don’t know what you’re asking. It’s not that simple.”
“I'm sure it’s not.”
Her response surprised him and he turned to look at her. She’d followed him across the room and stood a few feet in front of him. Her green eyes sparkled in the afternoon light and her red hair, pulled back but still wet, shone in the light as well, a piece of moss from the pond still clinging to the hair.
“There is…much to oversee.” His attention was captivated by her and this surprised and confused him. It stole his words and his common sense.
“I’m sure, but there must be a way to find balance.”
He wished he could find the balance she talked of, but he was reticent to let go of his control over the ranch. What if…no, there were too many things to think through. Too many possible outcomes to plan for.
“It’s not that simple.”
Her features fell in disappointment and he found that he didn’t like the look on her one bit. Without thinking through his actions he reached out and pulled the moss free. Her eyes were wide and he sat the red tint her
cheeks, making the faint freckles stand out on her creamy skin.
“Moss,” he said matter-of-factly, holding up the green specimen. Then, stepping back from her and regaining some of his common sense he added, “Thank you for your concern but I’ve hired you to watch after Levi. I’ll trust that you can imbue him with some decorum. I must get back to the barn.”
He turned and left, though the scent of honeysuckle followed him when he walked past her. He had hired her to be his governess, yet he was beginning to see her as something more. Had he made the wrong choice by not marrying her?
***
Shona ran a hand over her hair, her stomach tightening. When he’d reached out to her she’d almost thought…
But no, it was foolish of her to think that he saw her as anything other than Levi’s governess. She thought of the boy and the look of sadness on his face at his father’s angry words. It was clear Levi looked up to his father and was starving for attention from him.
Lifting her skirts, she climbed the stairs and knocked on the little boy’s door. “Levi? May I come in?”
“I guess.”
His voice, small and faint, called out to her and she pushed the door in. “How are you, dear?”
“Fine.” His forehead was scrunched as he sat at the window looking out.
“I wanted to talk to you about what happened today.”
“I didn’t mean for you to fall in the pond. Honest!” He looked up at her, his blue eyes wide open. “I didn’t want you to die.”
“Oh, I know that dear. It was an accident—a funny one at that.”
“You weren’t laughing,” he said, turning his gaze back out the window. Down below them she could see that he watched his father walk toward the barn. Calvin threw his arm out directing a few hands and then stopped to talk with others.
“Your father certainly is a busy man.”
“He’s important,” Levi said.
[2015] Western Love Page 7
