“Of course not. You know I’ve cut down on my poker playing.”
“I hope so, dear. I really do, but…
* * * *
The Reverend Hezekiah D. Thorn walked into the bank and demanded to see the president.
“I’m sorry, sir, Mr. Young is not here today.”
“Where is he?”
“Sir, I’m not going to tell you where—”
“Young man, I presume you’re new in this establishment, because I’ve never seen you before, but if you want to keep your job in this bank past today, you’d better tell me where he is. Mr. Young always waits on me when I come in.”
“Why don’t I get the manager?”
“Yes, you do that.”
In a minute the clerk returned with another man following him. Hezekiah recognized him as a Mr. Hammer. The older man held out his hand. “Reverend Thorn, I’m sorry, but Mr. Young is in a meeting in Washington. His nephew is a Senator, you know.”
“I understand.” Hezekiah frowned. “Maybe you can help me, Mr. Hammer.”
“I’d be happy to try.” He motioned toward the office door. “Shall we go inside where it’s more private?”
Hezekiah followed him into the small, but functional office. Taking a chair in front of the oak desk, the reverend said, “I need to check on my niece’s account. It’s a trust fund her mother left her.”
“I’ll be glad to look that up for you.” He stood. “I’ll get her file and be right back.”
He was gone only a few minutes. Spreading the file on the desk, he asked, “Now, what did you want to know, Reverend Thorn?”
“I know she took her three month’s allotment and I need to know if she has taken any more money out.”
He looked at the papers. “No, sir. Those three month’s worth was the last withdrawal. We haven’t heard from her since.”
“I see.” Hezekiah stood.
“Wait a minute, Reverend. Here’s a note somebody has put in her file.”
“What is it?”
“There was a telegraph wire from somewhere in New Mexico. Some woman was asking about your niece. Said she needed to know if Edwina Thorn was really married to a man named Wyatt Singleton.”
“From where did you say?”
“New Mexico Territory.” He looked at the note again. “She asked that someone telegraph her back.”
“Give me that address. I’ll send a wire to the young lady.”
With Cora Sue Reeson’s name and the town of Cool Wood, New Mexico tucked in his pocket, the Reverend Hezekiah D. Thorn left the bank with a smile on his face. It wouldn’t be long now until he found his wayward niece and got her and the Clark’s baby back where they belonged.
Chapter 11
“Rosalinda, why are you cooking so much food?” Edwina sat at the kitchen table with Adam on her knee. He was busy munching on the cookie Rosalinda handed him.
“It’s for the community dance and, since I learned Dena had rather clean rooms and make beds, I decided to switch jobs with her. I’ve always liked cooking, but I thought Mr. Wyatt wanted her to do most of it.”
“I don’t think he cares as long as he has something good to eat.” She grinned at the aging woman. “Besides, I think your cooking is Wyatt’s favorite.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Now, what’s this about a dance?”
“Cool Wood has one every year. There’s lots of food, games for the children, horse racing and shooting matches for the men, and it all ends with a dance on the town square. They block the main street and set up a stage. There’s always a big crowd. People come for miles. Most of the men want to sneak around and nip the bottle and the women all want to see if theirs is the prettiest dress there.”
“It sounds like quite a celebration.”
“You’ll see when you get there Saturday.”
Edwina laughed. “Oh, I won’t be going.”
“Of course you will, child. Mr. Wyatt always goes and as his wife you’ll go along with him this year.” She laughed. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll dance with some of the ladies, but this year he’ll not have all them hanging on him like they usually do.”
“Whatever, I won’t be there to see it.”
“He wouldn’t dare go without you.”
“I can’t dance, Rosalinda. Uncle Hezekiah never allowed dancing.”
“That’s no problem. Mr. Wyatt will teach you. He’s a good dancer.”
“There’s another problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t have a pretty dress to wear. I wouldn’t want Wyatt to be ashamed of me and he would be if I wore one of the drab dresses I brought with me.”
The back door banged. “Something smells good in here.”
“Da!” Adam cried, spitting cookie crumbs into the air.
Wyatt hung his hat on the hook beside the door and came to squat beside Edwina. “What are you doing, boy?”
“Cookie.”
“I see. You have cookie crumbs all over your chin, your mother and the floor. Did you get any inside you?” He chuckled. “But you’re having a good time, so it doesn’t matter.”
“My, Wyatt, I was telling Miz Edwina about the community dance. You’re going, aren’t you?”
“I usually go.”
“Good. It’s time you introduced your wife to the people in town.”
“I told you, I wouldn’t be going, Rosalinda.”
“Of course you’ll go. It wouldn’t look right for Mr. Wyatt to go without you.”
Wyatt looked at her. “Why don’t you want to go, Edwina?”
“I’m not used to things like that. I’ve never been to a party in my life. Uncle Hezekiah said partying was a sin.”
“You mean you’ve never been to a dance?” Wyatt looked at her.
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t know what to do or say and I don’t have anything to wear to a dance.”
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Edwina.” Wyatt stood. “Now, I’m hungry. Is supper about ready?”
“Go get cleaned up and I’ll put it on the table.” Rosalinda punched his arm.
“I’ll go see if Ben’s awake. He was a little tired and laid down for a nap about an hour ago.” Edwina stood and put Adam on her hip.
“He isn’t sick is he?” Wyatt looked at her.
“I don’t think so, but he did look a little weak-eyed.”
“Maybe I better go with you.” Wyatt followed Edwina out of the room.
They found Ben sitting on the side of the porch couch. “How are you feeling, Dad?”
He nodded. “Better. The nap did me good.”
“Good.” Edwina smiled at him. “Rosalinda has supper ready. We thought we’d come get you to join us. You know Adam wants his grandpa at the table with him.”
“Gapa,” Adam said.
“Well, sakes alive. Did you hear that? He’s saying Grandpa.” Ben beamed.
Edwina shook her head and laughed. “He’ll probably say Rosalinda before he says Mama.”
“Don’t worry, honey.” Wyatt put his arm around her shoulder. “He knows who you are and he’ll say it one of these days.”
* * * *
As Edwina sat at her dresser brushing her long blonde hair, she let her mind slide back to the moment before going to supper when Wyatt put his arm around her and called her “honey.” She knew he probably meant it as only a friendly gesture, but to her it was so much more. It was enough to give her hope he was beginning to remember the loving feelings they’d both had on their wedding night. Lord, she hoped so because he was certainly the one man she’d love forever.
She put down her brush, stood and walked over to the small bed where Adam was sound asleep. She was thankful he’d finally got the tooth through and was once again his jolly happy self. As she brushed the wisp of black hair from his forehead, her eyes misted. He was so beautiful and so like his father. She knew that no matter what happened between her and Wyatt, her son’s future was secure. There was no chan
ce the Clarks would get their hands on him now. Adam’s father would always take good care of him.
She turned to the bed, blew out the light and climbed between the covers. As she drifted toward sleep, her mind drifted again to the moment Wyatt put his strong arm around her. It made her feel warm and safe. Oh, how she wished she could feel that way all the time.
* * * *
Wyatt wandered into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He was surprised to see Rosalinda taking a pan out of the oven.
“Why in the world are you still here?”
“I wanted to make sure little Adam had enough cookies for the festival. The rest of you might like cakes and pies, but he prefers cookies.”
“About that festival, Edwina said she didn’t want to go.”
“And you believe her?”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“Wyatt Singleton, am I going to have to sit you down and give you a lesson on women?”
“Of course not. I know all I need to know about women.”
“Sure you do. You know that your little wife loves you more than any man should be loved. Not a one of them deserve that kind of devotion. Then there is the wonderful son she gave you. You don’t appreciate that either, do you?”
“Of course, I appreciate Adam. I think he’s a wonderful child and Edwina has done a great job raising him.”
“Yes she has, but how about the way she stayed true and faithful to you for two years. Years you should have been there for her and your son.”
“Rosalinda, I didn’t know anything about Adam until she showed up here.”
“And whose fault is that? You should have stayed in touch with your wife.”
“She’s not—” He stopped because he didn’t know what he wanted to say. Should he tell Rosalinda he and Edwina weren’t married?
Rosalinda turned and stared at him. “She’s not what?”
“She’s not the type you have to stay in touch with. I knew she’d find me when she needed to.”
Lord what a lie. Will Rosalinda see through it?
“Well, she’s here now and she deserves to be treated as well as she treats you, though it’s impossible.”
“So, what should I do?”
“You need to take a load of food, your son and your wife to the festival. When you get there, you introduce her to all the people you know, then you dance every dance with her.”
Wyatt swallowed. “But—”
“No buts.”
“Then I guess I’m taking my family to the community dance whether she wants to go or not?”
“Oh, she wants to go. She just doesn’t think you want to take her.”
When he said nothing, Rosalinda went on. “You also need to make sure she has a beautiful dress to wear. Those dowdy things her preacher uncle made her wear aren’t appropriate to show her off to everyone.”
“Where in the world am I going to get a dress for her?”
She put her hands on her hips and shook her head at him. “You said you had to make a business trip to Santa Fe. Why don’t you make the trip this week and pick your wife up a pretty dance dress there? It wouldn’t hurt to pick her up a couple of more things, too.”
“Will you get rid of those drab brown things she wears if I do it?”
“It’ll be the first thing I'll do.”
“Then I’ll go to Santa Fe.” He moved over and hugged her. “Now before you take more of my time planning my life, can I have a cup of coffee?”
“Of course you can.” She poured him a cup. “Now get out of here and let me finish this baking. I’ve got to get home before Juan decides he wants another woman. The rascal is still crazy about me, you know.”
“And he has good reason to be.” Wyatt winked at her and walked out of the room.
Back in his office, Wyatt sat behind his desk. He knew he was getting in so deep, he’d never get out. Here he was with a son he would never let go and a wife that wasn’t his wife, but everyone thought she was. At times he even thought so himself. How was he going to tell everyone he’d pretended to marry this wonderful woman, and hold his head up around his friends and neighbors again? And what about Edwina? What would it do to her to know she was never married?
“Damn,” he muttered aloud as he got up and poured whiskey in his coffee. “I don’t know what I’m going to do to get myself out of this mess.”
He didn’t want to admit to himself that he wasn’t sure he wanted to get out of the predicament he was in.
Chapter 12
Edwina nervously held up the best of her dresses and glared into the mirror. Though Aunt Callie had been telling her for three years now that she didn’t need a new dress, this one was showing a lot of wear. Probably from the fact she’d worn it for church every Sunday and Wednesday night as well as any other church function for the last three years.
Edwina frowned as she continued to study the garment. It was the best thing she had, but it was still ugly. The plain brown material was rough, the black buttons were shiny and cheap-looking and the skirt always dragged the floor when she had it on. There was nothing she could do to make it look better. She’d look horrible at the dance.
Why in the world did she agree to go to the community celebration with Wyatt? It would only shame him to be seen with a woman who looked as she did. She was sure the other women would be in light and frilly summer frocks—the kind of dresses she’d seen displayed in the windows of the shops in Richmond. The kind of dresses she’d never owned.
There was no question. She’d have to tell Wyatt she couldn’t go to the dance with him.
There was a knock at her door. She tossed the dress on the bed and crossed the room to answer it. “Rosalinda, come in.”
Rosalinda smiled at her and came into the room carrying a box. “I’ve come to help you get ready to go to the party.”
“I can’t go, Rosalinda. Look at that dress, and it’s the best I have. There’s no way—”
“Forget that thing.” Rosalinda pushed the dress aside, sat the box down and removed the lid. She pulled out a beautiful sky blue silk dress. “This is what you’ll be wearing to the dance.”
Edwina’s eyes grew big. “But… Where… How?”
“Mr. Wyatt bought it for you. I’m sure he wants you to look lovely.”
“But… I mean, why?”
“Just what I said, now don’t ask any more questions, Miz Edwina. Let’s get you dressed and ready. Ben and Adam are waiting downstairs for you and Mr. Wyatt.”
“Wyatt’s back?”
“Of course he is. He’s headed to his room to bath and get ready. Now, you don’t want him to get ready first, do you?”
“No, but—”
“I do declare, you’re sure stuck on the word ‘but,’ aren’t you?”
Edwina laughed. “I guess I am, but I—”
“There you go again. Now, stop it and let’s get you ready.”
* * * *
There were footsteps on the stairs and Wyatt turned to look. He couldn’t help it—his mouth fell open and his eyes widened. To top it all, his heart began to pound. He’d never believed in fairy princesses, but he’d been wrong. One was giving him a shy smile and descending the stairs toward him.
Unable to speak, he handed Adam to Ben and moved to the bottom step. Reaching up a hand, he took hers and kissed it. “You are beautiful, Edwina,” he finally managed to say.
“Thank you for this lovely dress. I’ve never had anything so nice.”
“It won’t be the last one you have.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder. “Look at Mama, Adam. Isn’t she the prettiest woman you’ve ever seen?”
Adam grinned, showing his two teeth. “Ma-ma,” he said.
Edwina’s hand flew to her throat. “He called me Mama.”
“Of course he did. He’s known all along who his mama is. He only waited until he saw you dressed this way to acknowledge it.” Adam smiled down at her.
“You look nice, too.”
“All right, you two. You ca
n admire each other later. The food is in our wagon and Juan has the two-seated buggy ready for you folks.”
Rosalinda passed them in the entry and reached for Adam. “You’re going to ride with your mama in the buggy so you can help Grandpa keep an eye on them. Your daddy might look at her too much and run out of the road unless you and Grandpa keep him straight. Your daddy thinks your mama’s pretty, you know.”
Wyatt grinned. “He sure does.”
Ben frowned. “Well, I still don’t think I should be going to this shindig.”
“Stop complaining, Mr. Ben. Miz Edwina said if she went the whole family had to go, and the last time I looked, you were a part of this family.”
“She’s right, Dad.”
“What’s a man in a wheelchair going to do at a dance?”
“You’re going to talk to old friends and eat lots of food and hold your grandson when his parents want to dance,” Rosalinda said.
“Why can’t you hold Adam?”
“I plan to hold him some, but Juan might want to take me out for a turn or two on the dance floor.”
“Where’s Dena? She can hold him.”
“Dena left this morning with Clem Dockery. They’re probably already at the festivities.”
“You might as well not argue with her, Ben.” Edwina smiled at him. “Besides, I need your support. I don’t know anyone except the family and I want all of you around me.”
“Since you’re the prettiest thing I’ve seen around here in a long time and it doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to talk my way out of this, I guess I’ll go.” He shook his finger at Rosalinda. “If I don’t have a good time I’m going to give you a hard time next week.”
“As if you don’t already.” She took Adam from his arms and handed him to Edwina. “Let’s go and get him in the buggy before he changes his mind.”
“There’s not room in the buggy for my wheelchair.”
“We’re going to put it in the wagon.”
“All right, let’s go. This woman has an answer for everything so I’m not going say anything else.”
“That’s why all of you love me so much around here.” Rosalinda opened the door and they followed her out.
Wyatt put Ben in the back seat of the buggy, turned and took Adam from Edwina and sat him on his grandpa’s lap.
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