Wanted: Engineer (Silverpines Series Book 11)

by George H. McVey

  “I told you, Maude, I remember my deportment lessons. I brought my courting gift, but I also remembered my hostess gifts.” She smiled at him. “Well, you’ll certainly earn points with them for that.”

  “Come on, everyone will most likely be in the dining room already.”

  As they entered the room, Jeremiah sat his packages on the table and went over to shake hands with the sisters. “Good evening Miss Edith, Miss Ethel. Thank you for having me over for supper tonight.”

  “Well, Mister Henderson, you grew up into a handsome young man, didn’t you? And such manners.”

  Jeremiah smiled at the more light-hearted of the two sisters. “Miss Edith, I would never forget my manners and deportment lessons. You’ve saved me a ton of embarrassment over the years with the fine lessons you and Miss Ethel taught me. Speaking of which, I have a gift for each of you. He picked up a plain brown wrapped package and handed it to Miss Edith. “I remembered how much you love to read, Miss Edith, and my partner, Nathan Ryder, had a novelist spend a few months with him a little while ago recording the Tall Tales his grandfather Nugget Nate used to tell him. The novelist sent him several signed copies just before we left. So, Nathan allowed me to purchase one for you. I hope you enjoy them.”

  With a twinkle in her eye she unwrapped the bundle to see Nugget Nate: The Holiday Adventures by George H. McVey. “What a lovely thought, thank you Jeremiah.”

  He kissed the older woman on the cheek. “It’s my pleasure, Miss.” Then he turned to Miss Ethel. “Miss Ethel, you on the other hand I knew would appreciate the same gift I brought Maude.” He handed her the wrapped wooden box and gave the other to Maude at the same time.

  Ethel gasped as she took off the wrapping paper. “Young man, this is too much!”

  He shook his head. “Nonsense, Miss Ethel, you and Miss Edith were like mothers to me when I lived here. I think it’s not nearly enough to repay all the valuable things you taught me.”

  “What is it, Ethel?”

  “It’s one of those new Smith and Wesson revolvers, sister.”

  Edith clapped. “And you were just saying the other day how you wished you had one with all the scoundrels in town nowadays.”

  “Yes. Let’s call the children to supper. I’m sure our Maude would like to eat so she can spend some time courting her young man. You have come to ask us properly, haven’t you, Mister Henderson?”

  He smiled. “Yes, Miss Ethel. I was going to wait until after supper, but I have come to ask permission to court Maude.”

  “Well consider us asked. The answer is yes, as long as you do so properly! Not like some other young men in this town, leaving sawdust in places you shouldn’t.”

  Maude laughed at the confusion on Jeremiah’s face. “One of the older girls is courting the sawyer over at the lumbermill. Every time her beau and her go to sparking he leaves behind sawdust, getting them in trouble.”

  “Ah,” he said. “No, Miss Ethel, I promise to leave no trace behind when I spark with Maude.”

  She gave him a stern look. “That is not what I meant and you know it, young man!”

  “Yes ma’am, you’re correct.”

  Edith laughed behind her hankie “That’s probably the best response you’re going to get, Ethel.”

  The table was a flurry of activity as the young women and girls of the Howard House made their way to the table at six o’clock on the button. It reminded Jeremiah of his childhood and the few meals he’d had here. The Howard sisters never allowed supper to be late. They’d questioned him about his life in Redemption and his plans now that he was back in Silverpines, and as he handed out bags of penny candies to the other girls after dessert, Ethel looked him in the eye. “What are your intentions, Mr. Henderson, in courting our Maude? Is this just a young man’s fancy to mark time while in Silverpines?”

  He shook his head. “No ma’am, I’ll make my intentions as clear to you as I have to Maude. My plan is to settle in Silverpines and make Maude my wife.”

  “Then I see no reason you can’t court her, do you sister?”

  Edith smiled as Maude blushed. “No Ethel, I don’t.”

  “You may take her on a moonlit walk around the property but no climbing in that cedar tree. You two are much too old for that nowadays.”

  Jeremiah chuckled. “Did everyone know we went there?”

  “Of course we did, we aren’t as preoccupied as you young people always think we are. You’ll understand one day.”

  Jeremiah stood and offered Maude his hand. Ethel pointed at him “You may kiss her under the moonlight, young man, but there will be no sparking tonight, is that clear?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “Good; one disrespectful young scamp is enough right now.”

  Jeremiah and Maude walked out the door hand in hand. He led her past the garden and flowers and straight to the tree they called their spot. “Well, I can’t spark with you and we can’t climb our tree so I guess I have no choice but to hold you close and steal as many kisses as I can get by with.”

  Maude moved into his arms and wrapped hers around his neck. “You don’t have to steal them, Jeremiah, all my kisses are yours.”

  His hand slipped from her waist and traveled up her back until it tangled in her long hair, and he pulled her close and slowly lowered his lips to hers. He stroked her hair as his lips moved against hers and the two of them were soon lost in each other. She was as sweet as honey and twice as smooth and he groaned as he deepened the kiss, pulling her tight against his chest as she melted into him. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms and run to the parsonage, pound on the door until the minister came out, and demand he make them man and wife. However, he knew that wasn’t proper, so he gentled the kiss and finally released her lips. Not ready for the contact to end, he just held her in his arms, his hand twined in her hair, and breathed in the scent of cedar and roses and the girl he’d left behind. When she pulled back to look at him he’d stroked her cheek and just turned and walked them around the edge of the yard, stopping often to kiss her again. Oh, he wanted to kiss the spot beneath her ear so badly and that jumping pulse in her long neck called to him like nectar to a bee; but he knew that one of the sisters was most likely watching and if he made a move to do so they’d demand he bring her back inside. She looked into his eyes as they made their way back to the porch “You’ve gotten much better since that day in the tree, Jeremiah.”

  “So have you, Maude. I must say I could get very used to kissing you.”

  She blushed in the moonlight. “I think I’d like that.”

  He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers and took a chance to place one on her neck just below her ear. “I think I would too.”

  He sighed as he heard the front door open; he knew he’d been caught. “I said no sparkin’.”

  “So you did, Miss Ethel. I apologize, I guess the moonlight carried me away.” He led Maude up the stairs onto the porch and kissed her once more at the door. “I’ll take my leave with an apology to you, Miss Ethel. Maude, supper at the hotel tomorrow?”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Goodnight then, my dear.”

  “Goodnight, Jeremiah.”

  He turned and headed back to the hotel. His head full of Maude and the feel of her in his arms, and her lips on his.

  Six

  Maude slid into her nightgown and settled into bed. Her lips still tingled with the feel of Jeremiah’s lips on hers, and that place on her neck felt branded by his lips. She had no doubt what her dreams would be about tonight. There was a tap and she looked up to see Katie smiling at her. “Well, don’t you look like the cat that got the cream!”

  Maude blushed. “Come in and shut the door, if we’re going to talk about my outing we need to keep the little ones out. They’ll learn too much from Miss Edith as it is.”

  Katie giggled, then flopped on the bed beside her. “Well sister, I really thought I’d be the next one of us to wear her lace hearts, but it looks like you’re go
ing to beat me to it.”

  Maude blushed. “We aren’t married yet.”

  Katie smacked her leg. “You don’t fool me. I heard what Jeremiah said and I saw those kisses. You’re getting married and I bet it’s soon. You better start planning your wedding now or you won’t have time to get a dress.”

  “I have plenty of dresses.”

  Katie shook her head. Do you remember what the sisters did for Ella Grace? Do you really think they are going to let you get by without as pretty a wedding gown?”

  “I wish they would. They need to concentrate on you girls now. And you! Taking on those twins. Katie, I swear it’s like you’re both sisters wrapped up in one. I don’t know how you do it and help them with the other girls.”

  Katie smiled and shrugged. “I like it. This is where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to be doing. Now if my ad would just land me a husband, I’d be living the perfect life. So tell me about those kisses. Seems like your man knows what he’s doing.

  Maude blushed. “He has definitely improved since our first kiss.”

  Katie laughed. “You were six the first time, Maude, and hanging on to a tree limb. I would hope there was improvement over that. Was it like in those romance novels we sneak away from Edith? Did your toes curl?”

  Maude bit her lip and nodded. “I don’t even know what all to tell you it did. I felt fire and tingles and cold and shivers and heat, and like I couldn’t stand up, and my heart raced and my stomach churned, and none of that sounds good, but when it’s happening it’s all good.”

  Katie smiled. “You’re right, all that sounds like you got consumption, not something good. And yet that color on your face and neck and that goofy smile on your lips makes me know it is good even though it doesn’t sound good.”

  Maude dropped her voice to a whisper. “He kissed right here.” She touched that spot on her neck. “Only it wasn’t a kiss like what it did to my lips, it was more an open-mouthed, nibbling kind of kiss and I thought my blood had turned to fire or something, and yet I so wanted him to keep doing it. Even now I can still feel his mouth there like he branded me.” She shook her head. “I understand why they don’t tell us all this. It’s because the words, just don’t do it justice. Everything he did made me want him to do more.”

  Katie frowned. “What do you mean, more?”

  Maude blushed and hid her face behind her hands.

  Katie gasped and then blushed, giggled and sighed. “No wonder we never see Ella Grace anymore.”

  Maude gasped herself. Then laughed. “But it wasn’t just that, because it’s not everyone who makes you feel that way.”

  Katie frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Maude lowered her voice. “You can’t say anything about this, Katie, you have to sister promise me.”

  Katie’s eyes got large. In the Howard House a sister promise was the most solemn oath two or more girls could make.

  “All right.”

  “When I left this morning to help Betsy, there were a bunch of men at the mine putting up a tall wooden fence. I knew they weren’t supposed to be doing that because Betsy had agreed to do nothing until Mr. Ryder got here today. So I went to tell them to stop. Their boss is a man named Lucius Fagan, he was sent here by that Wallace Francis Lunsford man. He grabbed me and tried to kiss me like Jeremiah did and all I felt was sick and angry and afraid. None of those good feelings; so it’s not that way unless it’s someone special.”

  “Maude, what happened?”

  “I tried to slap him and told him to let me go but he just pulled me closer and it made me want to throw up. Then Jeremiah was there telling him to let me go. He pulled his revolver and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t.

  “Then Marshal Sewell and Marshal Ryder and Clay Cutler showed up and the men packed up and left for now.”

  Katie sighed. “Jeremiah saved you.”

  Maude nodded. “He did, and tonight he brought me this.” She climbed down off the bed and picked up her reticule and pulled out the small revolver. “He also told me not to go anywhere without letting him escort me. He’ll be here after breakfast to take me back to Betsy’s and he brought me home at dinner so I could teach this afternoon.”

  There were stars shining in Katie’s eyes. “You actually got one, didn’t you?”

  Maude frowned. “One what?”

  “You know, a Prince Charming, a Knight in Shining Armor. Jeremiah is your Knight.”

  Maude thought about that. “I guess he is in a way. Only no armor just denim and canvas.”

  “Still, he was willing to die for you, Maude. You have to marry him.”

  Maude smiled and giggled to lighten things up. “Well, of course I do, he kissed me on the lips after all.”

  With that both girls cracked up and hugged. Then came the sound of a baby crying and Katie sighed. “That’s my cue. The other one will be up by the time I get to the nursery.”

  “Well, go be mama Katie then. Do you want me to come help?”

  “Would you mind?”

  “Of course not.”

  Jeremiah sat in his room looking out the window at the darkened town. There were a few lights on and the sounds coming from the other side of town could barely be heard. He was sure that Fagan and his men were over at the saloon having a good time. He should be thinking about everything he needed to do to open the mine back up, but instead he kept thinking of the way it felt to hold Maude and kiss her and he hated that he had to take her home and leave her. He really should have marched her over to the parsonage and demanded that they be married right then. What’s the worst that could have happened? Ethel could have chased him with her new pistol. The Pastor could have said no. No. The worse thing could have been that Maude would have said no and then he would be further away from his goal instead of closer. But he wanted to hold her. He wanted to run his fingers through her hair and hold her while he slept. He wanted to hear how she sounded as she fell asleep in his arms and now he just felt empty, alone, and cold inside.

  He lay there thinking about her. He could still feel her lips on his, her body pressed against him and her scent filled his nose. He thought about the past when they were growing up. There was a house out past their tree that bordered on that little creek out past the pet cemetery that Maude always said when she got married she’d live in. He’d walk over there tomorrow and see if it was empty and then try to find who owned it. If it had survived the destruction, he’d buy it. If it hadn’t, he’d buy the land and find someone to rebuild it. He wanted to give her everything she’d never had. No one knew who her family was; she’d been found lying in a basket wrapped in a small purple blanket with a note. Take care of my baby, her name is Maude. That was it. Howard House was the only family she’d ever known. He wanted to give her that. A family, children to love and a place to call her own. No, he didn’t want to give it to her, he needed to give it to her. He would give it to her and he’d start tomorrow. Whatever Maude wanted, Maude would get.

  There was a knock on his door and he pulled his pants on over his small clothes and looked out, seeing Nathan. He opened the door. Nathan laughed, “Oh brother, you’re gone for certain-sure. You look just like Tim looked when he saw Nell the first time, and how Rowdy would look after every visit with my sister. You may as well see if my cousin carries rings in his store, and buy one now and start looking for a house my friend, because you’re hooked and don’t even realize it yet.”

  Jeremiah shook his head. “Not true. I realize it, just wondering how long it’s going to take to convince her to say yes.”

  “I’m happy for you, Jeremiah, truly; but I need you to come back to business for a bit if you can. I can’t find any collaboration anywhere that this Lunsford guy actually has an investment in the mine. I went through Pike’s office paperwork today and there was nothing. I need to get Betsy to authorize the bank to let me see his deposits, but I wonder what the banking records look like after the disaster. From what I understand, the Bank manager died in the disaster an
d his daughter ran the bank until recently and now her husband does. Again, a mail order husband, from what I understand, from Iowa. I’ll get her to authorize him to show me what he can tomorrow. How else can we get rid of this guy?”

  Jeremiah thought. “Pay him off? I know it rankles, but he doesn’t own stock just that promissory note that says he’s guaranteed the return of his initial investment plus what? 50% profit? First off, that’s really steep, boss. That’s not the Mister Pike I remember. Pa used to say he was the smartest business man he knew except your grandfather.

  “That’s not what worries me, though. Fagan said something today that is true. If he decides he wants to keep the mine, what can we do about it? I mean, this town has been through it and while everyone in town owns a share in the mine, I doubt many of them are in any shape to physically help us fight the manpower Fagan brought with him. I counted twenty-five men today and all of them looked like armed hard cases.”

  Nathan nodded. “Yeah and like he told you there’s the four of us and maybe a few other men in town willing to fight, but I’m betting after everything these widows and orphans have been through, a lot of their wives won’t want to risk them fighting armed hard cases.

  “I sent the wires so we have about fifty men on the way, and if I really need them I can call on a few old friends, but it will take at least ten days or more to get them here. And they know we plan to resist so they’re going to be sending for more men too.” Nathan sighed. “Sure wish I had that stupid Gatling gun now!”

  Jeremiah laughed. “It’s back at the ranch, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, what are you thinking?”

  Jeremiah shrugged. “Does it still work?”

  “Don’t know, haven’t had any ammo for it since ’87 but it’s been under cover so I’d say it should.”

  “Got a gunsmith here; think he could manufacture ammo for it?”