“Could be, son. Could be.”
As his father closed the door behind him, Hank threw his hat in the air, grabbed Clara around the waist and spun her around.
“We did it!” Clara cried as her red braid flew behind her.
Hank set her down, his broad smile warming her heart.
“Not quite yet, but it’s a good start,” he said as he looked down at her.
She looked up into his piercing, blue eyes, his dark hair falling on his forehead as he bent down toward her. Her heart suddenly sped up and her toes tingled as he lifted her chin up toward him.
“Would you mind if I kissed you, Mrs. Archer?” he said softly, his lips so close to hers she could feel his breath.
“I think I’d like that, Mr. Archer.”
He leaned toward her and she felt his soft lips pressed to hers. As she sunk into his embrace, she knew her butterflies had found her again and even brought all their friends.
Chapter 25
The following week’s flurry of activity had Clara keeping records of appointments, so that Hank knew where he needed to be and when. She spent most of her time sitting with people, watching him work their horses and gracefully accepting payment.
Horse after horse came through the stable, Hank tirelessly working with each and every one of them.
Today was the last day of the week they’d been given, and Clara’s nerves jangled a bit, even though she knew that they’d made the money they had anticipated. She even knew exactly where it was—in a cookie jar on the vanity in her bedroom.
Just the thought of maybe Hank leaving for months at a time jarred her, and they’d spent every night getting to know each other as they sat out after supper, talking about anything and everything.
Now, on this last day, Clara sat under the big oak tree with their last clients.
“I’m just so happy that things worked out this way, Mrs. Archer. Abigail is still thrilled to have her horse, and things get easier for her every day, with Hank’s training.”
“Oh, Mrs. Beckett, I’m glad,” Clara said as she watched Hank walk the arena with Abigail.
“We were already bemoaning Hank’s imminent departure, and when we saw the ad in the paper, we were overjoyed. I do remember telling you when we first met that this is what he was born to do.”
Clara sighed. She flashed back to her ride down from the train station in the stagecoach and the man she’d seen on the hill just before they’d gotten into Tombstone. She remembered that his horse had come to him on its own, and her heart swelled as she now realized it had been Hank that day.
Her heart swelled at the notion that she’d seen who he was—who he truly was—before she’d even met him.
“How are things going, Mrs. Beckett?” Mr. Archer said as he came up behind them, startling Clara.
“Oh, Mr. Archer. How lovely to see you,” she said, extending her hand. “I was just telling Mrs. Archer here that we are so pleased that her husband will be offering these services. They are sorely needed here in town.”
Clara turned to her father-in-law as Mrs. Beckett referred to her as Mrs. Archer, but she saw only a smile on his face as he nodded to the lady, and then to her.
“Yes, so I’ve been told,” he said softly.
Hank led the horse and Abigail into the stables, and Clara and Mrs. Beckett turned to follow.
Mr. Archer headed to the house. “Clara, would you and Hank come see me, please, up at the house when you’ve finished?”
“Of course. Shouldn’t be too long.”
Mrs. Beckett said, “He seems to be in better humor today than the last time we spoke.”
Now that she thought of it, Clara hadn’t seen Mr. Archer but at supper the entire week they’d been running Hank’s new business. They’d been so busy she hadn’t even known where he’d been.
Hank and Clara waved goodbye to Mrs. Beckett and Abigail as they pulled through the gates of Archer Ranch.
“Well, did we do it?” Hank asked as he wrapped his arm around Clara’s shoulder and squeezed.
She reached up to grab his hand on her shoulder and held up the money Mrs. Beckett had just given her, her grin ear to ear.
“With this, we’ve made enough to pay for the wrangler for the whole time. Anything we make from now on out is extra.”
Hank breathed a sigh of relief but was silent as they walked up the drive to the big house, arm in arm.
As they drew closer to the house, he said, “I just hope that he was serious, and won’t change his mind. I love what I’m doing now, but more importantly, I couldn’t bear to leave you now, Clara.”
He stopped at the bottom of the porch steps and turned her to him.
“Hank, I—“
“Shhh,” he said, putting his finger to her lips. “I need to finish what I was going to say.”
Heat flooded her cheeks and she looked down, straightening her skirts.
He reached for her, and as he held her in his arms, he said, “I want you to know that whatever happens tonight with Pa, I will find a way to make this right. You’re my wife, and I want to stay with you.”
“Oh, Hank. You don’t need to say that. I understand it was all for the property.”
“Clara Archer,” Hank said, pulling her in closer. “It may have started out that way, but I have come to realize that it was the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“You have?” she said, her eyes twinkling as she looked up at him.
“Yes. And I also have realized that I love you.”
Clara gasped, unable to speak as her heart had leapt in her throat. She took a deep breath and calmed down enough to say, “And I love you.”
Hank leaned in to kiss her, his eyes searching her face.
“Oh, yuck,” Pepper said as the front door opened and all the girls came out, followed by their father.
“Now, girls, that’s what people in love do. Later. When they’re grown up. And married,” Mr. Archer said, smiling but wringing his hands as he surveyed his six daughters who would all eventually be of marrying age. And actually, some already were.
Hank laughed, pulling away from Clara but holding her hand in his. “I think you’re going to have a run for your money, Pa, but I’ll help all I can.”
His father sighed as he walked down the porch stairs.
“I think I’m going to need all the help I can get,” he said, stopping in front of Hank and Clara, the girls watching from the porch.
“I’ll help too, Mr. Archer.” Clara smiled, looking at the beautiful young ladies lined up on the porch and wondering how that would all go.
“Well, Pa, I’m sure you’re wondering about—”
“Actually, I’m not wondering at all. It’s pretty plain that this week has been a great success. Hank’s Happy Horses is off to a rousing good start.”
“Oh, Pa,” Hank said as he smiled and extended his hand to his father.
“I’m very proud of you, son.” Mr. Archer took Hank’s hand but pulled him into a hug, clapping him loudly on his back.
Clara tried to hide her smile behind her hand as all six of the girls burst into applause from the porch, their laughter and smiles infectious.
“You girls stop that. Let’s go show Hank and Clara what we’ve done for them.”
Shrieks of laughter led Hank and Clara to follow Mr. Archer and Hank’s sisters down the lane. The girls ran ahead and stopped in front of the gate to the little white house Clara had admired since she’d arrived at Archer Ranch.
The girls stepped aside as their father approached and opened the gate, gesturing for Hank and Clara to go inside.
Hank stopped when he got to the front door.
“What is it, Pa? Is everything all right?”
“Hank and Clara, this place has been closed up and silent for way too long. We all miss Mama, but we have to live life, and it is my hope that you are as happy as Mama and I were.”
“Thank you, Mr. Archer,” Clara said, resting her hand on Hank’s arm.
&
nbsp; Mr. Archer smiled and nodded at Clara.
“So, the girls and I thought you two might be desiring a little privacy, so we’ve spent the week while you’ve been working on a project.”
Titters spread amongst the girls, and Meg said, “Go on, Clara, open the door.”
Clara looked at the girls behind her and then to Mr. Archer, who nodded to her and gestured toward the door.
With one last look at Hank as he shrugged, she entered the small white house.
Clara stopped short as she stepped over the threshold, stock still until she felt Hank’s hand on her back, gently inching her forward.
She walked slowly around the room. The shining wood floor reflected warm sunlight from the sparkling windows. She held her hand up to touch beautiful curtains spotted with prints of colorful flowers. She peeked through a doorway into a bedroom and blushed when she saw a large bed, overlaid with a lovely quilt.
The small kitchen was charming, and she finally stopped by a small dining table with a vase of daisies set in the middle.
She looked up toward Saffron, who turned crimson, her long eyelashes cast downward.
“Are these daisies from you?” Clara said to Saffron.
“Yes, they are. I want you to be happy here. I want you to stay.”
“We all do,” Mr. Archer said. “We’ve spent a lot of time here this week, remembering Mama and cleaning it up for you two. There was a fair amount of dust.”
He cleared his throat as he looked at his eldest daughter, Meg, as she laughed.
“That’s an understatement. It hadn’t been opened in years.”
“But it was fun,” Sage said. “We got to pack up Mama’s things and kind of say goodbye. And we want you to have a place of your own to start off your family,” she said as she walked over to Clara and hugged her.
Hank looked from his father to his sisters. He strode to the girls, hugging each one of them as he said, “I just don’t know how to thank you all. This is wonderful.”
As he got to his father, he stopped and looked his father in the eyes for a long moment.
Mr. Archer looked down at his boots and said, “I want you and Clara to be happy, son. Like me and your mama. And we were very happy.”
Hank pulled his father into a hug as Clara’s eyes misted.
Maria poked her head in the door and said, “Supper is ready, everybody. Come on up when you’re finished.” She winked at Clara and headed back up to the house.
The girls ran behind Maria and Mr. Archer said, “I never thought all this would turn out so…”
“Wonderful?” Hank said, his eyes on Clara.
Mr. Archer laughed. “Yes, I guess that is the word. Wonderful. I’ll see you two up for supper.”
Clara sighed as she and Hank walked out into the front garden and Hank closed the door behind him.
“It really is wonderful, Hank. All of it.”
“It is. And so I suppose that tonight will be our real wedding night.”
He laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the gate as she blushed.
Before she passed through, she turned and looked at the garden they’d cleaned out when she first got there. It didn’t look anything like it had in the beginning, and she grinned with pride that the flowers and herbs were coming back to life. Slowly, but they were all definitely sprouting, ready to bloom again. Just like her new family.
Epilogue
“What do you think could be so important that we were asked to go to the Occidental tonight?” Clara asked Hank as he drove the buggy out the gate of Archer Ranch.
Hank shook his head as he held the reins in one hand and put his arm around Clara, sliding her closer to him on the bench seat.
“I’m not sure. Pa just got back from his business trip and asked if we’d join him. But it’ll be nice to be with everybody. Suzanne said she and the girls and James and Sadie would be there for dinner.”
“Oh, wonderful. We’ll get to see them all. We haven’t been out in so long.”
“How long has it been since we’ve seen anybody but Suzanne and the twins when they come to ride?”
Clara tapped her chin as she thought, her eyes narrowed. “Well, we’ve been married about two months now, and I think honestly I haven’t seen Tripp and Sadie but maybe once or twice since the wedding.”
“Good, then it’s high time we took a break from the business to have some fun.”
As they pulled up to the Occidental and Hank tied the buggy to the post out front, Clara smiled as Mr. Archer came out of the restaurant, reaching his hand up to help her out.
“Well, hello. It’s nice to see you.” Clara said as she stepped down to the porch.
“Yes, it’s nice to see you, too, Mrs. Archer.”
Clara’s heart tugged at his greeting. They hadn’t had a chance, really, to talk about much as he’d been on business trips for much of the time they’d been married. The ranching industry was changing, and everyone at the Archer Ranch was anxious to see how things might be different.
“Thank you, Mr. Archer.”
Hank’s father cleared his throat. “Clara, do you remember long ago, that I asked you to call me Beau?”
“Oh, yes, I suppose I do. But I—”
He held up his hands to stop her as Hank joined them.
“No buts, please. I insist.”
She tugged on her mother’s pearl earring as she looked at Hank, who smiled and nodded at her.
“Well, thank you, Beau. I appreciate that.”
“Thanks, Pa. It’s nice to have you back,” Hank said as he shook his father’s hand.
“Nice to be back, son. Thanks for agreeing to join me tonight. I hear beef stew’s on the menu.”
Beau held his arm out for Clara, and she took it, her eyebrows raised with a smile to Hank, who followed behind them as they entered the Occidental.
“Over here,” Sadie called as soon as they entered, gesturing to the small, private dining room where they’d had their wedding reception. Clara smiled as she remembered smearing Hank’s face with chocolate.
Hank took Clara’s wrap and bonnet as they walked into a party already in progress. James, the twins, Suzanne, Sadie and Tripp all laughed and talked. Clara’s stomach rumbled as she eyed the mouth-watering buffet of appetizers lining the far wall.
Tripp nodded to Hank, Clara and Beau and tapped his glass with his fork as he cleared his throat.
He held his hand out for Sadie to join him, and Clara wondered at the color or her cheeks—bright scarlet.
“Thank you for joining us today. It’s a special occasion and we wanted to share it with our family.”
He smiled at Sadie as he squeezed her hand. “You’ll notice soon enough, but Sadie and I—well, Sadie is with child. Maybe two,” he said as he glanced at the three sets of twins in the room and laughed.
Sadie poked her elbow into his side and looked at her shoes. “I hope not, but we’re very happy.”
Pepper, Lucy and Lily all squealed and joined the room in laughter as they ran to hug Sadie.
“Oh, my,” Suzanne said to Clara as she waited her turn to hug the mother-to-be. “And so it begins.”
“Clara, Hank, it’s so nice to see you. It’s been a long time,” Sadie said as she hugged Clara. “How is married life treating you?”
Clara thought her face would stay permanently pink at this rate. “Wonderful. I’m very happy.”
Hank put his arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze. “So am I.”
“Congratulations, Sadie, on the news. We’re so happy for you,” Clara said as Sadie beamed at Tripp.
“I told you you two were meant for each other,” Suzanne said as she hugged Clara, too. “I love when things work out like this.”
“Well, maybe you can help me, then.” Samuel Ford, the bartender, came through the door, his face ashen.
“Sam, what is it?” Sadie said as she rushed to him. “Here, sit down.” She pulled him to one of the chairs and sat him down.
“I…I just
received a letter from my mother. She’s coming to visit. ” He looked down at the paper in his hands, folding it and re-opening it.
“Oh, that’s nice. She lives in New York, doesn’t she? I don’t think I’ve met her yet. How lovely of her to visit,” Sadie said, patting him on the shoulder as Tripp came up.
“Uh, your mother? The wealthy lady from back east? The reason you moved away?” His lips tugged up into a grin. “The one who wanted you to be a—”
“Yes, anything she deems successful. One and the same,” Sam said as he rubbed his forehead.
“You don’t seem happy about it,” Suzanne said, her eyebrows raised.
“You don’t understand. I…my mother had very firm plans for me. To be a doctor or a successful businessman, to be married with a family.”
Sadie reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll be very proud of you, Sam. There’s no shame in being a bartender.”
“Oh, I don’t think there is. I think I’m the best bartender around, and I love what I do,” Sam said. “But there’s a little problem.”
“Oh?” Suzanne asked.
Tripp’s grin turned into a laugh. “You didn’t.”
Sam shook his head slowly. “Yes, I did. I told her I was married and owned a business. I never thought she’d come this far west. She hates to be out of the city.”
Suzanne’s eyes twinkled as she said, “I’ll be right back.”
“How long do you have until she gets here?” James asked.
“Not too long, I don’t think. Oh, what a disaster.”
“I knew there was a reason I’d need this,” Suzanne said as she came back in the room waving a copy of the Groom’s Gazette. “Sadie and I are fresh out of friends, but look at this. We can advertise for a mail-order bride for you.”
Sam’s face had been ashen before, and now he turned completely white, the blood draining from his face. “I don’t think I can do that.”
“Sure you can,” Sadie said, flipping through the flyer. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”
“Boy, this is going to be interesting,” Hank said as he laughed and clapped his friend on the back.
The Wrangler's Mail Order Bride Page 13
