He murmured sympathetically. Of course, he would understand. Hadn't he rejected the same Society? They had so much in common, if only she could convince him to fight for her.
A gust of wind hit, and she snuggled closer to Hugh. So very improper and un-Margaret-like, and it felt wonderful. And even though Hugh had just lectured her on propriety, he pulled her closer to him. "It does get cold up here. I know you want to stay, but keep in mind that this time of year, you'll be cold like this often."
"It wasn't cold in your shop. "
"True. But come summer, you'll find the heat almost unbearable. "
"I thought that's what the windows were for," she said, smiling at him. She'd been paying attention, and hopefully he saw that. Could he see she was willing to make an effort and do the right thing?
Hugh didn’t answer, which she took as a sign that he was noticing all the reasons Minnie had to stay. Could she get him to see reason?
"You mentioned that you'd like to build a house for your family someday,” she said. “Have you thought about where?"
He let out a long, satisfied sigh. Clearly, he had, and she appreciated that about him.
"I always thought it would be something I decided upon with my wife. However, when you’re entering Noelle, if you turn left toward the hills instead of right into town, there's a small bluff, which overlooks the town and the river and I like to go there to think sometimes. I own the land, and I hope my future wife would be in agreement about building there. But if not, we’ll find something we can agree upon. Still, it is the nicest piece of property I've ever seen."
It hurt that Hugh spoke of his future wife, and not of her. She hated that he was still unwilling to consider marrying her when she was trying to think of every way possible to make it so.
"How far is it from here? I would love to see this place if you're willing to take me there," Minnie said, smiling at him.
For a moment, Hugh looked like he was going to refuse. Obviously, he didn't want her getting any ideas about that being the place for her future home.
"I suppose, if we take the long way around, we can get there without being noticed by the saloon's occupants. As I said, it's just land, and the person would have to have quite an imagination in order to see the potential that I see."
Minnie could imagine many things, and if it meant spending more time with Hugh and letting him picture her as part of his vision, she could make her imaginings even stronger.
The snow was deep in spots, and the sled slid right over it. In others, Hugh had to be creative to go around the areas that were already turning to dry ground.
"It's so beautiful here, I want to share it with everyone." Then Minnie looked up at him. "However, if Noelle were to become too crowded, I think it would lose its charm. I hope, when the railroad comes in the mayor's vision comes to pass, it's doesn't become too spoiled with people."
"I agree. And I don't think Charlie will allow that to happen. We all want Noelle to be successful, but I think we all hope to keep our town this sweet little piece of heaven."
As they neared the top of a small hill, Minnie looked down upon the town. The buildings were small and sparse, yet they held the promise of something wonderful to come.
Then Hugh stopped the sleigh. "This is it," he said. "In the summer, I sometimes sleep out here, imagining what it would be like. You wouldn't believe the number of stars you can see at night. It's a peaceful place, and as the town grows, it will still be close enough for entertainment, but not so close you feel that everyone is on top of you."
As Minnie followed his gaze, she could see why he loved it so much. And she, too, could see the advantage of being so close yet so far. It wasn't like being isolated out on a ranch as one of the new brides was. But she would still have her privacy.
"If the railroad comes, where will it go?"
Hugh pointed at a place near the river. "There. The railroad will mostly follow the river, as it is easier for trains to take on water as they need, and the ground is already cut out. The railroad does not have to do as much blasting or use as much labor when there is already a natural path."
She liked how he explained things to her and didn't talk to her as though she were stupid. Often times, men didn't take the opportunity to let a woman in on their plans. But Hugh seemed to respect her, and once again, Minnie thought that she couldn't have found a better man to be a husband.
Another blast of icy air hit, making Minnie shiver. Hugh wrapped his arms around her. “I thought I’d prepared enough for the cold, but perhaps I was wrong. It’s chillier than I had expected. I’m sorry.”
The cold didn’t matter if it meant Minnie could stay in Hugh’s arms. More and more, she found that there was no other place she would rather be. Perhaps this was the secret of what made women decide to fall from grace. Her mother had never told her about the tingly feeling she Minnie inside when Hugh touched her. She couldn’t imagine experiencing this with anyone else. Why must Hugh be so stubborn?
She looked up at him and smiled. “I don’t mind. I’m glad you brought me here, and I shall cherish this time always.”
He met her gaze, but then he shook his head. “We can’t do this. You are promised to another, and your father could quite literally kill me for taking advantage of you.”
“How are you taking advantage of me? I’m here because I want to be. We’ve done nothing wrong.”
Something changed in his expression, and for a moment, Minnie was almost frightened. But then the tingly feeling inside her grew, and she felt… excited.
“But I want to,” he murmured, looking away.
Was this what people whispered about, but no one would discuss with Margaret? Whatever wrong Hugh feared committing, something inside her wanted it just as much.
He adjusted the reins, like he was going to leave, but Minnie placed her hand on his arm. “Please. Let us stay here a while longer. I want…”
He looked down upon her, and she could see the hunger in his eyes. Over the past several days, she’d seen some of the other couples embracing, and it had created a longing inside her. There had to be a difference between the humiliation her mother had described, and whatever was happening between the new brides and their grooms. But how was Minnie to know, if he still refused to marry her?
“Don’t say it. I’m doing everything I can as a gentleman to do the right thing. Right now, you’re asking too much of me.”
Returning his attention to the horses, he made a noise, then gave the reins a quick jerk. The sleigh took off in a burst of speed, and they practically flew down the hill. It was exhilarating, and it almost erased the emptiness of being rejected. Though she knew little about the ways of men and women, she knew Hugh felt something for her.
While she could agree in principle that defying her father could be dangerous, how was she supposed to return to such an unbearable life when she’d had a taste of freedom? How could she marry a man who made her skin crawl when she’d been so close to marrying one who made everything inside her come alive?
The woman was going to drive him mad. Hugh gripped the reins tightly as they returned to town. He was supposed to keep her out longer, but he was at great risk of kissing her senseless if they remained alone together. And then he’d face Coveney’s wrath for sure. In England, it would be swords or pistols at dawn. But here, a man shot first and asked questions later.
Stealing a glance at Minnie, he knew that he’d hurt her feelings. Given what he knew of her background, the idea of romance was entirely foreign to her. She was falling in love for the first time, and he was refusing to give way to those feelings.
He briefly closed his eyes. Falling in love. Was that really what was happening between them? True, his feelings for Minnie were deeper than he’d ever experienced with anyone else. With Arabella, he’d been a giddy boy, making a fool of himself. But what he felt had lacked maturity and wisdom. Now, he knew better. And he knew that loving someone also meant behaving with honor. Perhaps he did love Minnie, bu
t she was not his to love, and whatever emotion he had growing inside him was best put aside.
As for whatever Minnie was going through, he could chalk it up to being a milestone on the path to adulthood. But he hated the idea that he may very well be the one to break her heart. Why couldn’t she understand that he had no choice?
None of his contacts had given him any useful information that he could go to Arthur Coveney with. And Coveney still had not answered any of the telegrams sent him after his initial response that he was sending someone for Margaret.
So, what was a man to do?
Hugh stole a glance at Minnie, who’d turned away from him. From the way she held herself, he could tell she was deeply wounded. Better for her heart to break now, before they were too attached. Who was he kidding? He was already too attached. The pain he’d felt at Arabella’s betrayal had so quickly dissipated that he hardly remembered it now.
It would take a lifetime to recover from losing Minnie, if such a thing were even possible.
As much he hated to admit it, whatever was happening between them wasn’t as easily explained away as a passing fancy.
Such a cruel trick, to be so close to love, but for it to seem so far away. He couldn’t just give her up, yet he had no idea how to convince her father that the lord she needed was not the one they intended for her.
Chapter 7
The Sixth Day of Christmas
December 30, 1876
Hugh counted it a blessing that they’d managed to go another day without Coveney’s supposed men finding Minnie. He’d stopped by the saloon to find they were still occupied. If only Coveney would respond to the telegrams he’d sent. Surely the man would want to know his daughter wasn’t falling into the hands of bandits.
But what if Minnie’s father didn’t care? What if he just wanted the prestige of having a lord for a son-in-law?
As much as he didn’t want to spend any more time getting attached to Minnie, he couldn’t bring himself to stay away from her.
While Hugh had been escorting Minnie the previous day, Draven had declared his love for, then married, Pearl, the woman who was only supposed to be pretending to be a bride. Maybe Draven’s advice about love hadn’t been so much about Hugh’s conundrum, but about Draven’s romantic struggles. Though Hugh was genuinely happy for his friend, he couldn’t help being jealous of all the marriages happening around him.
The whole point in bringing mail-order brides to Noelle was for the men to get married. Only Hugh’s bride was so out of reach, he didn’t know how he was ever going to get her down the aisle.
He went around to the back of La Maison, hoping to both avoid Arabella, and to see Minnie.
Why did he torture himself like this?
Milly stood guard at the back door. “What do you want?”
“To see Minnie.”
She looked at him like she wanted to gut him like a trout or some other creature she planned on serving for dinner.
“She’s busy.”
There wasn’t much she could possibly be doing, not with trying to stay out of sight of everyone.
But Milly didn’t seem like she cared to argue that point. Or any point for that matter. Mostly, she just looked like she wanted Hugh gone.
“Let him in,” Minnie said. He couldn’t see her, but at least she confirmed that she was within.
Milly stepped aside, and when Hugh entered the kitchen, he saw Minnie rolling out some kind of dough.
“I’m learning how to make bread,” she said, smiling.
It was wrong of him to think about how beautiful she looked with splotches of flour on her face. But he couldn’t help himself. At least he had enough self-control not to reach out and kiss her.
“I hope you’ll let me taste it when it’s finished. My breakfast the other day was ruined.” He sent a pointed glance to Milly, who shrugged.
Even though it was frustrating to have such a strict guard over Minnie, it was comforting to know that the cook would be even more protective if Coveney’s men showed up. He’d heard stories about her abilities with a gun, which gave him even more comfort.
Minnie was safe here.
Arabella screeched from the other room, reminding him that safety was an illusion.
“That woman,” Milly muttered.
Everyone was losing patience with Arabella, it seemed, and Hugh had no idea of how to get her to leave town. He’d already rejected her in the strongest way possible, yet she still clung to the crazy idea that he’d return with her and somehow become duke.
The sound of her footsteps came closer.
Minnie sighed and put down the rolling pin. “I’ll go hide in your room. Hugh, you should probably go, too. Last night, I heard her fussing about how you weren’t paying any attention to her.”
He’d been too busy paying attention to Minnie. When he wasn’t with her, he might as well have been, for all the time he spent thinking about her.
“I have a better idea,” he said. “I just went past the saloon, and your father’s men are still distracted. Let’s go for a walk to get some fresh air.”
It was a stupid suggestion, considering yesterday’s drive had been such a disaster. No, not a disaster. But it had put thoughts in both of their hearts that didn’t belong there. At least if they went for a walk, they wouldn’t be in such intimate quarters as they’d been in the sleigh. She couldn’t snuggle close to him, and he wouldn’t feel her warmth.
Minnie’s face lit up, and he wanted to hate himself for how much pleasure it gave him to delight her so.
“That would be lovely. If it’s safe, I’d like to say hello to my friends and see how they’re doing. Maybe it sounds silly, but with as restrictive as my family has been, I’ve never had friends to call on like this.”
He could have done without the reminder of the life he was returning her to.
More and more, he knew she belonged here in Noelle. But there was a very powerful man who needed convincing otherwise.
She put on her wrap, and he noticed that she had a new scarf she hadn’t had the day before. Probably a gift from one of the other ladies. His heart twisted again at the thought of sending her away from this.
As they came to the corner of La Maison, he made her stop so he could make sure it was safe. He spotted a tussle at the saloon. Madame stood at the entrance, shotgun in hand, and the man was running out the door, pulling up his pants. Hugh recognized him immediately. One of Minnie’s father’s men.
He quickly guided Minnie in the other direction, out of sight of the saloon. Whatever the man’s transgression was, it had to be bad for Madame to chase him off like that. Worse, it also meant he wouldn’t be distracted from his original mission. Soon, his attention would be back on taking Minnie to her father. And if he was such a miscreant as to be forcibly removed from Madame’s establishment, he wasn’t the sort to be trusted with an innocent like Minnie.
He’d have to find a place for Minnie to hide, and so he could talk with Draven. Arabella Perhaps the sheriff could put the man in jail, buying them more time. Surely Coveney would want to know about the man he was trusting to bring his daughter home safely.
Arabella had entered the kitchen just as they’d exited, so La Maison was currently not a safe place for Minnie. Which meant he had to think of somewhere else to go.
“It looks like the men who’ve come to get you are no longer occupied. We need to keep you better hidden, and you must do your part in staying out of sight.”
Margaret nodded slowly. “Does this mean you’re going to help me stay?”
Why did she have to continually insist on something that wasn’t possible?
“I can’t. But I also don’t think the men who are here for you have your best interests at heart. I don’t trust them, and until I am certain your father truly wants you with them, I can’t hand you over.”
The expression on her face told him that wasn’t the answer she’d wanted. But even if he were honest with her, and told her that yes, he wanted her to st
ay, it would do them no good. Why get her hopes up when there was no future for them?
They entered the freight office, and Birdie immediately came out from her work area, Gus trailing behind her. “I’m so glad to see you again.”
Jack also came out. “This isn’t a social call, is it?”
“I’m afraid not,” Hugh said. “I don’t know if you heard the ruckus at the saloon, but that means the men who want to take Minnie back to Denver are going to be looking for her.”
The other man nodded slowly, like he knew exactly what Hugh was referring to. “One of them stopped by earlier this morning, asking if Miss Margaret was here. Your lady friend told him that Margaret and Birdie are friends.”
It wasn’t proper to hurt a woman, but if Hugh could shake some sense into Arabella, he would. Because it was obvious that Arabella was putting them on Margaret’s trail.
“What did you tell him?”
Jack shrugged. “That she wasn’t here, and we hadn’t seen her today. But he’ll be back, and he made a great show of the guns on his belt.”
“But we’re prepared,” Gus said. “We know how to handle scoundrels like them.”
“I didn’t mean to put you in harm’s way,” Minnie said quietly, looking at Birdie. “I’m so sorry. Surely they’re not from my father, because while he is known for getting what he wants, I can’t see him condoning this behavior.”
Birdie came and put her arm around Minnie. “This isn’t your fault. The men didn’t have to threaten us. But now that they have, you can rest assured that we’ll do everything we can to protect you. It’s what friends do.”
A lump filled Hugh’s throat as he saw the depth of loyalty and friendship established between these two women. He wanted to do the same for Margaret, but he also couldn’t risk angering her father. But maybe it was better for Margaret to have another woman standing by her rather than him.
Minnie smiled at Birdie. “That’s kind of you to say, but if I hadn’t run away from home, I wouldn’t have put anyone here in danger. I’d only been thinking of myself, not how my leaving would impact everyone else. But if you don’t mind helping me a while longer, I promise I will make it up to you.”
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