“Not everyone has family to turn to,” Simon replied.
Beth knew most of the prostitutes were either orphaned or deserted. “If it’s any consolation, she’s never wanted to be . . . well . . . working for Rafe.”
Simon halted the horses in front of Gallatin House. “I know. It tears me up inside, and as soon as I can do something about it, I intend to see her freed.”
Lacy came bounding out the front door, eager to help. “I see you got extra milk,” she said, reaching into the wagon to take up a wooden crate of eggs.
“I’ll get this stuff inside,” Simon said as he jumped down from the wagon. He reached up to help Beth down and lowered his voice. “Don’t be too hard on Nick. He’s had a lot to overcome in the past. He’s not proud of some of the things he did back then. But he’s a good man now, and you can depend on him to be honorable in every way.”
Simon hurried off to unload the wagon, giving Beth no chance to ask what exactly he meant. She sighed, tucked her presents from Patience under her arm, and followed him into the house.
“Surprise!” multiple voices cried out as Beth stepped through the door.
She could see that nearly everyone, short of Rafe and his bunch, had gathered in her front room. Words escaped her until she finally simply said, “I . . . I don’t know what to say.” Beth looked at the smiling faces of her family and friends and felt like crying.
“We’ve been beside ourselves trying to plan this and keep it a secret,” Gwen said, coming forward to hug Beth. “We have musicians and a cleared dance floor. We’re going to have a regular party.”
“And there’s a lot of good food,” Lacy added. “Patience even sent extra with the eggs. That’s why I hurried out to get it.” She grinned.
“Oh, but Patience should be here, too.” Beth instantly felt a sense of sorrow that the Shepards should miss the party.
“They’ll be here,” Gwen assured. “They were heading over just behind you. They wanted to give you enough of a lead that you wouldn’t suspect anything.”
Beth laughed. “Well, I have to say you’ve planned it all just perfectly. Thank you!” She hugged Gwen again and then gave Lacy a tight embrace. “Here I was feeling sorry for myself, and you’ve humbled me completely.”
“I say we start the music,” Forrest declared. “I didn’t bring my fiddle over to have it just stashed in the corner. Come on, Evan.” The two went to get their instruments—Forrest taking up a well-worn violin and Evan grabbing a guitar. Together they began a jaunty tune that soon had everyone clapping.
“May I have this dance?” Nick whispered in Beth’s ear.
His breath was warm on her skin and Beth couldn’t help but give a shiver. She turned and found him very close. She smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”
He took her in his arms and began to move her around the room along with the other couples. Beth hardly noticed anyone else, however. She could scarcely draw a breath for the very nearness of Nick’s handsome face.
“Happy birthday,” he said, his expression quite serious. “I came over this morning to tell you, but they’d already sent you on your way.”
“Yes, I guess they wanted to keep me busy. I really had no idea that anyone but Patience even remembered my birthday, so this was definitely a surprise. Oh, look—here they are!” She let go of Nick long enough to give a little wave in the direction of Patience and Jerry.
Patience waved back and gave Beth a knowing nod. Beth couldn’t believe she’d been in on the plans all along and never once slipped up. “I’m no good with secrets.”
“What?” Nick asked.
Beth turned her attention back to him. Goodness, but he was dashing. He was dark and handsome—just like Justice Halbrook, the gunslinger in her book. Maybe Nick was full of regrets, too. Maybe he had secrets that haunted him. She shook the thought aside. “I was just saying that I have trouble keeping secrets. I’m always blurting out things when I shouldn’t.” She gave a sheepish shrug. “Guess that’s just one of my many faults.”
“I don’t think you have many faults, Beth Gallatin.”
She laughed. “Oh, yes you do. You’ve called me stubborn and pigheaded, nosy, too bold . . . hmmm, let me see what else.”
He chuckled and gave her a quick turn to the music. “All right, so maybe you aren’t perfect. But that hardly matters. I’m sure not perfect.”
Beth studied him for a moment and thought of the things Simon had said. “You haven’t been around much.”
Nick looked away and nodded. “I know.”
She waited a moment for him to expound on his answer, but when he said nothing, Beth continued. “I missed you. I was just telling Simon that we all missed you both coming over to share meals with us. I know Millie is taking good care of you, but you really shouldn’t be such strangers.”
Nick looked at her, and his expression seemed pained. “We’ve been busy trying to help Evan and Millie get their house built and to set up places for his business at our stables. We’ve even expanded to have a proper livery.”
“I know. Millie has told us what great strides you’ve all made this winter. Hopefully with the spring and newcomers to the area, you’ll be profitable and able to keep expanding. I know business is important to you.”
“It’s no more important than the people in my life,” he said softly. “I’m starting to see that a lot of those things aren’t quite as important as I might have thought at one time.”
“What is important, Nick?” Beth asked, suddenly serious.
“What’s important to you?”
Beth considered it for a moment. “A lot of things. Family. Love. Stability. Reliability. Trust. Faithfulness. God above all.”
He nodded. “Those are important to me, too. In fact, they probably would have been the very things I would have chosen.”
“Stability figures heavily into what I want out of life. I want to know that I can put down roots and stay in one place. Pa had us moving all the time—all over the country. I don’t want to do that anymore.” She hoped he understood the seriousness of her words. If he really did love her as Simon had told her, then he needed to know that she had no desire to leave Gallatin Crossing.
“I think roots are important. A man can hardly be successful at a business if he’s always moving from place to place. Still, I think a fellow needs a reason to stay put. If he can’t make a good business or have his other . . . well . . . needs and expectations met, then he can’t very well continue to go for broke.”
Beth frowned. What exactly was he saying? Did he mean that if his business didn’t make a lot of money, he’d want to move away from the area? The music ended and Beth dropped her hold on Nick, while his hand lingered on her waist. She liked the way he touched her in that possessive way. It made her feel weak in the knees.
“I guess it’s my turn to dance with the birthday girl,” Hank said, stepping up. He pointed to his red shirt. “I wore this just for you. I thought it might make you smile.”
Beth remembered only too well dying the shirt out of spite. “You should just toss that away. We agreed to let bygones be bygones. I’m going to feel less than forgiven if you keep throwing my mistakes back into my face.” She grinned and let him lead her in a jaunty reel.
“I’ve come to be quite fond of this shirt,” he told her as they danced. “Along with my blue ones. I’ve often thought I should have had Gwen keep at least one of them lavender instead of dying them all blue.”
Beth laughed. “It does suit you. Still, I’m sorry for the trouble I caused and I’m glad you’re my brother-in-law. I liked Harvey well enough, but you’re a much better match for Gwen. You’re what she needs. Someone strong. Someone who will endure and go the extra mile.”
Hank glanced across the room, and Beth’s gaze followed to where Gwen was busy dancing with Cubby Reynolds. Somehow the boy had managed to sneak over for the celebration, but that really didn’t surprise Beth. Where there was food, Cubby Reynolds could be found.
“I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love your sister.” Hank looked back at Beth. “She means the world to me; how could I not go the extra mile?”
“Well, a lot of men wouldn’t. Not only that, but you care about what she needs. Pa was a good man, but he never seemed to put Mama or us first. It was always about what worked well for him. I know Gwen appreciates that you give her needs consideration. That’s important to a woman.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, little sister.”
After everyone had danced and shared turns singing a song or two, Gwen announced it was time to eat. They all moseyed into the dining room, where Gwen and Lacy had worked to put out a spread that rivaled the previous year’s Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations.
As they finished with the hearty fare, several gifts were presented to Beth, much to her surprise.
“I don’t know what to say. This is all so sweet—so wonderful.”
“Well, open your presents, then,” Lacy admonished. “Don’t make us keep wondering what’s inside.”
Beth nodded and did exactly that. She smiled at the new books given to her from Hank and Gwen. She hadn’t read either one, so this was a special treat. Next came Lacy’s present of new hair combs.
“Hank helped me get them,” Lacy told her sister. “They were a special order from New York City.”
“Oh my,” Beth said, fingering the delicately carved pieces. They were beautiful, trimmed in gold scrolling and tiny rhinestones. “I’ll always cherish them.”
Millie was next. She handed Beth a rather large bundle. Pulling back brown paper revealed a beautifully knitted shawl of the softest yarn Beth had ever known. “It’s beautiful, and I love the creamy color. I have nothing like it.”
“I’m so glad. I talked to Gwen about what color might be good. She said you were wanting something in ivory, and this was as close as I could get.”
“It’s perfect and it feels so soft. Thank you.”
“Well, I probably won’t have a chance to make another for a while,” Millie announced. “I’m going to be devoting myself to baby things for a time.”
“What?” Beth and Gwen both exclaimed.
Millie laughed and flushed red as she reached for Evan’s hand. “We’re going to have a little one. I’ve just been waiting for the right time to let everyone know, and this seemed a good time.”
“A perfect time!” Forrest declared. “I couldn’t be happier. I’m going to be a grandpa.”
“When will the baby arrive?” Beth asked.
“I figure September,” Millie said rather shyly, as if the impact of the moment had caught up with her.
“That will give us all summer to make little outfits and blankets,” Beth said, nodding. “And give you time enough before the heavy winter comes to get some fat on the baby. It’s a perfect month.”
Gwen tried not to be jealous of Millie and Evan. She was happy that they were going to be parents, but she fervently wished she could be making a similar announcement. She’d thought of nothing but having a child since marrying Hank the previous year.
I shouldn’t be so impatient, she told herself. She pulled on her nightgown and prepared for bed, hoping that her frustration and sadness wouldn’t betray itself to Hank. She didn’t want him to think her petty or selfish.
“I think the party went very well,” Hank announced as he came into their bedroom. He locked the door behind him and turned to face his wife. “Don’t you?”
Gwen forced a smile. “I do. Beth never suspected the surprise and she had such a nice time. Thank you for all your help.” She quickly slipped into bed while Hank started to undress.
“And it was great news to hear about Millie and Evan having a baby, don’t you think?”
Gwen bit her lip. She wanted to answer quickly, but the words stuck in her throat. Hank turned down the lamp and slid into bed beside her, but she remained stiffly on her side.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes. Yes, I think . . . it’s a . . . I’m happy for them.” She turned to put her back to Hank and fought to keep from crying. This is so silly. I’m acting like a child. What in the world is wrong with me?
Hank was undeterred. He reached out and pulled her snugly against him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just tired.”
“You’re also a liar.”
She smiled to herself. Relaxing against his warmth, she knew it was futile to try to keep anything from him.
“I want a baby.”
He chuckled against her ear. “Well, sulking about it isn’t going to get you one.”
She laughed and turned in his arms to face him. “I’m sorry.
I’m very happy for Millie and Evan. I’m just feeling sorry for myself. I figured I might have news like that by now.”
He gently stroked her face and kissed her lips with tenderness. “I’d love nothing better than to hear such news from you. But I know it will come in time. God’s timing is just right. Look at how long it took for Him to bring us together.”
“Goodness, but I hope He’s a little quicker about this matter,” Gwen said rather boldly. “I don’t want to be an old woman like Sarah in the Bible before I have my first baby.”
Hank snorted in laughter and pulled her even tighter.
“You’re a long ways from being an old woman, Gwen Bishop.
A long, long ways.”
CHAPTER NINE
“Well, Pa, it isn’t much, but I thought you might like these,” Lacy said as she placed a few wild flowers on her father’s grave. She stared down at the patch of land that only now seemed to be blending back into the rest of the ground. New grass had grown where once there had been only mounded, barren dirt. It seemed nicer now, more natural.
“You’ve been gone a year,” Lacy said. Major came to stand beside her and gave a whine as if to confirm her statement. “Hardly seems that long, but I know it’s true.”
She frowned and looked away from the grave to the range of mountains to the east. “I never meant to let it go on this long, Pa. I was determined to see your killer behind bars.”
Memories from that fateful night still gave Lacy nightmares. Rowdy cowboys at Rafe’s had been shooting it up, and a stray bullet had caught her father. At least that’s what everyone said. Lacy had never been convinced. It seemed too convenient that her father had been the only one to be harmed with so many others nearby.
A chilled breeze blew across the cemetery, and Lacy hugged her jacket close. Major leaned against her leg and waited patiently for her to conclude her visit. He no longer seemed as lost and saddened by Pa’s death; Hank had filled that void for Major. But there was nothing and no one who could fill the emptiness for Lacy.
If only the law would find the one responsible for her father’s murder. Lacy just knew that would ease her mind and relieve the hurt that threatened to overwhelm her heart. She had promised Pa she would seek justice, yet Gwen had interceded and made her promise to dismiss such ideas.
“Well, I can’t,” she said firmly. “I can’t just let it go. No one else cares, and it’s obviously not going to get done unless I do something about it.”
She glanced toward the river and began to walk away from the graveyard. Major followed eagerly, happy to leave the quiet behind him and barking incessantly at some of the birds that mocked him from the trees.
Lacy, however, paid little attention to her surroundings. She had to make a plan. A woman had no hope of getting a confession from a man unless she found a way to be smarter than he was. She knew a half dozen names of men who had been at Rafe’s that night, but they were a tight bunch. And Rafe, of course, would offer little help in the matter.
Cubby. She thought of the boy and wondered how useful he might be. She didn’t want to take advantage of his feelings for her; ever since his declaration in December, Lacy had been uncomfortable with saying or doing anything that might be misconstrued by the boy. Still, if she explained the situation, maybe he could be her eyes and ea
rs at the saloon. Someone was bound to talk about the incident sooner or later.
Lacy paused for a moment to look around. She liked Gallatin Crossing well enough, but in truth, she had never felt it was a real home. No place had ever felt permanent, and sharing your home with a new set of strangers every few nights made Gallatin House seem even less so.
Sometimes Lacy wished her sisters would just agree to let Rafe buy them out so they could all move to Bozeman. She liked Bozeman and figured she might even live there one day. After all, she was twenty years old. There was nothing that said she had to stay with her sisters and run Gallatin House. Maybe once I get Pa’s death settled . . .
But even as she thought of it, Lacy knew her opportunities were limited. Women simply didn’t gallivant around the country, living on their own. She was handy with repairs and domestic chores, but she could hardly expect to make a living at either one. She was very good with horses, but again, who would hire a woman? Maybe she could talk to Hank about learning how to mind a store.
Major began to growl, drawing Lacy’s immediate attention. It wasn’t like the dog to get upset, but the hair on his neck seemed to jut straight out as he focused on a thicket of brush by the river’s edge.
“What is it, boy?”
Just then, a black bear charged out from the coverage. Lacy couldn’t stifle a scream as the dog rushed forward to meet his opponent. The bear stopped abruptly as if he hadn’t realized anyone else was there. He watched for a moment, swaying back and forth.
Lacy froze in place and watched the entire thing as if she were sitting in a theater watching a play. Major barked and rushed at the bear, distracting him from Lacy and drawing him farther toward the south.
The bear was unusually aggressive. Black bears weren’t known for much more than curiosity and being a nuisance, but this bear seemed determined to stir up trouble. He swiped at Major, making contact. The dog gave a painful yelp. This pulled Lacy from her shock. She glanced around and picked up a dead branch, knowing that it would offer her little protection.
“Get out of here!” she yelled at the bear.
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