“How dare I? How dare I?” She shouted back to him. Timmy started crying on the floor, but they both ignored him. Throwing the towel on the counter, Susan put her hands on her hips.
“Why don’t you tell me how you dare to marry me after marrying my sister, and never make mention of the fact! How about that? You didn’t think that it was something I might want to know?” Susan had tears in her eyes, but they were tears of anger.
Bill threw his hands up.
“What do you think I was supposed to say? You were the one who answered my ad, you were the one who came out here, and you were the one who never said you even had a sister! She wondered if you had disowned her, and when you said nothing about it – I wondered if you had, too. Don’t tell me that I was wrong for keeping it to myself!” He was red in the face, and Susan burst into tears.
“She thought that I disowned her? I loved my sister more than anything else in this world! It was the thought of what she did that gave me the courage to do the same thing myself!” She was still crying, but Bill shook his head.
“If you loved her that much, why didn’t you ever write to her? When she fell sick, she wrote to you and she waited day after day to get a response, and nothing ever came! Do you know how hard it was for me to watch the love of my life fade away, thinking that the only family she had known had turned their backs on her?” Now there were tears forming in Bill’s eyes, but Susan was too angry to respond.
After taking a few deep breaths, she spoke again.
“I never got any letters from her. Ever. When she moved out here she told me she was going to write to me often, and I never saw one single letter. I didn’t know if she had made it; I didn’t know when she had a baby; and I certainly didn’t know she was sick! I tried to write to her, but there were things that you don’t understand, and I was never able to post anything!” Susan was fighting to keep her voice under control, but the more she spoke, the angrier she became.
By the time she had finished, she was yelling, too. Timmy was still crying, but he now crawled over to her, holding his hands out and indicating that he wished to be picked up. Looking down at the little boy, Susan thought her own heart may burst from sorrow. All she could see in his tear-stained face was her sister, sick and falling apart, thinking that she had been forgotten.
Scooping the child up in her arms, Susan patted him on the back and tried to comfort him, though there were still tears running down her own face. Bill was still standing in the doorway of his room, but there was a funny look on his face. He opened his mouth as though he was going to say something else, but then he shook his head and turned around.
He closed the door behind him, and remained in the room for the rest of the night.
Susan fed Timmy dinner, then changed him into his night clothes and rocked him in the chair by the fire until he finally fell asleep. She was too upset to do anything else, so she was relieved when he finally began to close his eyes and drift off. She rocked him a few minutes longer, then kissed him on top of his head and walked to his bedroom.
Laying him down in his cradle, she stood for a moment, running her hand over his baby hair. He began to stir, but she hushed him and told him it was time for bed.
He relaxed once more, and within seconds, she could see that he was sound asleep. Susan stood in the dark, watching the little boy for a few minutes. She couldn’t help but think of her sister once more, even though she tried to force the thought back out of her head. Bill had never apologized for hiding the truth from her.
In fact, he had said himself that he wondered if she had disowned her sister. The words still stung in her ears, and in her heart. Susan shook her head, looking at the sleeping child.
That might be her sister’s son, but there was no way she could stay in this house any longer.
Not after what she had learned.
Not after what Bill had said.
Chapter 10 – Happy At Last
Susan stood on the train platform, her ticket in her hand. She had risen much earlier than she normally did and had walked into town by herself. That morning, she had gone into Timmy’s room and had given the child a kiss on the head, telling him she loved him but she had to leave now.
She left the letter she had written for Bill on the counter, and had slipped out of the house. In her letter, she had told Bill she was sorry, but there was no way she could live in that house. It was too painful, likely for both of them. She knew that her resemblance to her sister couldn’t help him heal properly, and that she felt it best she return home.
As Susan stood on the train platform, she wondered what she was going to do when she got back East. She wasn’t going to Maryland that was for sure. The last thing she wanted was to see the woman who had driven her sister out of the state, and had robbed Susan of the chance to say goodbye to her.
There were many other men who were looking for brides, but Susan didn’t know if she could bring herself to marry again. After all, she was still technically married to Bill, although she would likely never see him again.
The train pulled into the station, and Susan felt a tear run down her cheek. It was going to be hard leaving this place that she had learned to call home. It was going to be hard living life without Timmy, and it was going to be hard not seeing Bill.
He had hurt her with what he said, but it didn’t change the fact that she loved him, and always would. He had offered her a way out of the worst situation in her entire life, although she had paid a hefty price. As Susan stood on the station platform, her mind wandered back to her sister.
Turning, she looked across the open prairie, her eyes filling with tears.
“Goodbye, Hannah.” She whispered to herself. She then turned her attention back to the train, where people were starting to board. Suddenly, Susan heard something.
Someone was calling her name.
Turning, she saw Bill riding into town as fast as the horses could pull the wagon. Little Timmy was sitting in the back of the wagon crying, but Bill urged the horses on as fast as he could get them to go. Susan’s heart jumped.
“Susan! Susan!” He shouted. Her first instinct was to get on the train, but she hesitated. Bill yanked the horses to a stop and put the brakes on the wagon, then leapt off the side and ran up the train platform.
“Susan!” He gasped breathlessly, and Susan crossed her arms.
“Bill, I left you a note explaining everything.” She said softly, and he shook his head, still gasping for breath.
“That note might have told me where you were going, but it didn’t tell me why the house felt so empty when you were gone. As soon as I woke up I knew something was wrong, and when I saw your note I just couldn’t do anything.” He pulled his hat off his head and got down on his knee.
“Susan, I was wrong about what I said and what I did. I should have told you the truth, and I shouldn’t have said that I thought you had disowned your own sister. Let me tell you, your sister may have had some doubts, but she knew that you loved her more than anything, and with your grandmother, she knew. She knew.” He looked down at the ground, his voice choking up and tears in his eyes.
He then turned his attention back to Susan.
“I was greatly in love with your sister. When she walked into my life, everything changed. I was happy. Happier than I ever thought possible. Then Timmy was born, and life was perfect. When she got sick, I didn’t think I’d ever be happy again.” His voice trailed off and Susan wiped a tear from her eye.
“But then you came, and things have started to feel like – well like they used to. I know I loved your sister first, and I know I will always have memories of her and talk about her, but Susan, I have fallen in love again. With you.” He reached out and took her hand, and Susan shook her head and looked away.
“I know this has to be hard for you, and you may not believe me when I tell you, but it’s true, Susan. I love you with every fiber of my being, and I can’t stand the thought of losing. Please, come home with me, and we will work thin
gs out. No more locked rooms, no more secrets, just you and me and Timmy.” He looked into her eyes, and for the first time, Susan could see a different kind of pain.
He didn’t look as though he was talking to her and missing her sister. Instead, he looked earnestly at her, trying to convince her to return with him. It was clear that he meant what he said, and for the first time, Susan could see his love for her and her alone.
She hesitated a moment, then nodded. A bright smile flooded across Bill’s face, and he leapt to his feet. Without warning, he engulfed her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers.
Although Susan was surprised and pulled back at first, she soon began kissing him back. She didn’t know how long they stood there on the platform, but she did ignore the final call the conductor gave to board.
At last she pulled back from him, and looked up into his dark brown eyes.
“Bill,” she said.
“Yes?” He asked softly.
“I love you, too.” Susan replied.
And she meant it, with all her heart.
THE END
Natalie’s Thanksgiving Surprise
Chapter 1
Going West
Natalie gasped and nearly fainted. Mr. Brown quickly ran across an expensive Persian rug, took Natalie's frail arm, and helped her to a dark green sitting chair resting in front of a stone fireplace holding a warm fire. Sitting down, Natalie closed her eyes. The sound of sap popping in the fireplace filled her ears and the smell of fresh pine filled her nostrils. “Oh...dear,” she whispered in a worried voice.
Mr. Brown slowly eased his way over to the fireplace, leaned against a hand carved wooden mantel, and sighed. There, before him was one of the most beautiful women in Boston. Young, brilliant and very daring, the woman was the most sought after diamond in Boston. Every single man who dreamed of marrying Natalie had their hopes dashed into pieces, though. Perhaps, Mr. Brown thought staring at Natalie, it was the long red hair and old Irish temper veiled with a deceiving charm that kept the greedy eyes of single men from chaining her beauty into a dungeon? “Ms. McClure, perhaps I should leave you alone?”
Natalie slowly opened her dark green eyes. Sitting in her favorite reading room, she forced her mind to take control of her shocked emotions. A mere moment of weakness was to be expected at such news, she told herself. Taking her soft hands, she smoothed out the fancy dark red dress she was wearing and calmly brushed her long red hair off her tender shoulders. “What is left of my fortune?” she asked.
Mr. Brown cleared his throat. At the age of sixty-eight, the man felt tired and empty. Having spent his adult life working as a banker and seeking his own fortune, he had denied himself a wife and children. All that he had to return home to at night was an empty home filled with items cold money purchased instead of the heart. “Well...”
Natalie focused her eyes on Mr. Brown’s dark gray hair. She examined his well-tailored gray suit. She studied his intelligent face. “Mr. Brown, I want a direct answer,” she demanded.
“Your father left...certain debts...debts that should have remained forgotten because you know that he didn't acquire the debts alone. Nonetheless, after those who he was in debt to are repaid...your finances--”
“How much!” Natalie insisted.
“You are not being left poor and destitute, Ms. McClure. Your father left you a grand sum when he died. Even after the debts he owes are paid off, you will remain a very wealthy woman,” Mr. Brown explained. Then, he told Natalie the total sum that would remain in her possession after all the debts her father owed were repaid.
Natalie felt relief wash her anxiety away. Assuming the worst, she was surprised to hear the final sum that would be left in her possession. Growing silent, she focused her eyes on the fire playing in the fireplace. “I see,” she finally spoke. “Mr. Brown, isn't it possible that Mr. Hayton will still pursue my remaining fortune, though? I know he is the brain behind all of this.”
A stubborn enemy of Natalie's father, Tim Hayton vowed to destroy Natalie and take every cent she owned by using the deceptive arms of the courts do perform his evil deed. “Tim Hayton,” Mr. Brown sighed miserably, “yes, he was the person who brought to the court's attention the debts your father owed, neglecting to mention that he himself was also responsible for part of the debts himself. Even though the statutes of limitation had passed on each debt, Hayton pressed the courts to hold you responsible, I'm afraid.”
“You mean that vermin paid off Judge Millin's. Everyone knows Judge Millins can be bought for a mere penny,” Natalie corrected Mr. Brown. Feeling fury begin burning in her chest, Natalie stood up. “Mr. Brown, I'm no longer safe in Boston. If I remain here, the awful man will certainly destroy what is left of my fortune.”
And with that, Natalie dared to speak an idea she had been contemplating since her father's death. Mr. Brown listened with sharp ears. “The man in question, how well do you know him?”
“Very little,” Natalie confessed. “My father bought cattle from him, nothing more. However, he has been very insistent in writing me letters since my father's death. If I have my money transferred to a bank in the west, and leave Boston under the guise of night, with your assistance of course, perhaps I can escape the clutches of Hayton. And once that evil man finds out who I have run off to marry, he will certainly back down. Hayton is a coward, after all. Mr. Crandall is known as a rough, hard, man who backs down from no man.”
Mr. Brown considered Natalie's plan. “You will divorce this Mr. Crandall once Hayton agrees to leave you alone? I don't like the sound of him.”
“Of course,” Natalie promised. “I understand how to play my pawns in order to save the queen. I will regret leaving Boston, but Sacramento may be a fitting new home after Hayton is put in his place. Even with that awful man disposed of, there are still certain judges in Boston that can become a thorn in my side. I need to vacate Boston altogether.”
Mr. Brown studied on Natalie's words. Drawing in a deep breath, he slowly began nodding his head. “I will begin making the arrangements immediately,” he said. Pulling an ivory pipe from his pocket, he filled it with cherry tobacco.
Natalie sat back down in the sitting chair and focused on the fire. “And I,” Natalie stated “will write a very quick letter to Mr. Crandall in Nevada...my new—temporary—husband. If I schedule my time wisely, I should be his new wife before Thanksgiving.”
Outside, a hard rain began to fall.
*
Richard Crandall watched a few autumn leaves whisper up and down the sleepy street of Dry Rock. Knocking some dust off his gray suit and then holding the gray hat on his head as a strong gust of cool wind kicked by, he growled to himself. Standing on the veranda of the local hotel, he glanced at a deadly man standing next to him. “I had the jury bought and paid for. Duncan Andrews should have hung. What happened?” he asked in a furious growl. In no mood to wait for the late stage coach, he felt as if he could tear the entire day in half.
Mason Black (if that was the man's real name), didn't look at Richard. He wasn't interested in looking at a man who reminded him of a broken buck. Sure, Richard appeared tough, with a bear-like face and a growl that scared most men, but Mason saw Richard for what he really was: a broken buck attempting to scratch out a name for himself. “Who knows?” Mason answered. Chewing on a piece of straw, he leaned back on the porch railing. Wearing a black suit, he calmly pulled a black hat down over his eyes. “Maybe the money wasn't enough?”
Richard threw his hands down onto the porch railing with angry force. His thick gray hair was messy from the winds. His face beaten rough from years in the heat. His body worn but powerful. He knew what Mason thought of him. Most men like Mason always underestimate their elders. And that's just what Richard wanted. “Listen to me, Mason. You're a hired gun and nothing else. I have you a job to do and you failed. You failed to kill Duncan. I told you to take care of him personally, but you sent one of your lackeys. And where did that get us?”
Mason took his r
ight hand and tipped his hat up a little. Looking at Richard he resisted the urge to shoot the man. “I underestimated the man's skill with a gun. Next time, I'll go after him personally.”
“I need his land,” Richard snapped. Raising his right hand, he hit the porch railing. “Every rancher in this part of the land was willing to sell out to me until Duncan Andrews rallied them against me. I want that man dead, Mason, and I want him dead before the stars come out.”
Before Manson could answer, the stage coach came roaring down the sleepy street. “Your bride arrives,” Mason told Richard.
“My money arrives,” Richard corrected Mason. Leaving the veranda, he walked to the stage, leaving Mason behind to watch a broken buck attempt to deceive a pretty, young, doe.
Natalie wiped dust off of the yellow and white dress she was wearing. Exhausted from a long, dirty, bumpy trip, all she wanted was a comfortable room and a soft bed to rest her head on. Offering a polite smile at an old man who had been talking her ear off, she carefully stood up. “It has been very pleasant speaking with you.”
“Remember what I said about Crandall,” the old man warned Natalie. Picking up a book, he settled back into his seat. With no one else to talk to, he allowed his mouth to rest.
Natalie stared at the old man. She was about to speak when the stage coach driver opened the coach door. “Mam, help you down?”
“Please,” Natalie said keeping her eyes on the old man.
As Natalie climbed out of the coach into the cool autumn day, she began to wonder if she should abandon her plan and travel directly to Sacramento. “Ms. McClure,” a voice said.
Turning around, Natalie saw Richard Crandall walking toward her. She watched as the man forced his legs through the heat, struggling to maintain a forced smile. “Mr. Crandall, right on time,” Natalie said in a controlled voice, worried and pleased with the man's dangerous appearance. Surely Crandall would scare off Hayton...but then what? Would the man simply smile and nod and let Natalie be free of him after he had fulfilled his purpose?
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