Katie: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides Book 1

by Rachel Wesson

  His scowl deepened as he went over the meeting with Mr. Winkle, the insufferable banker he had met the day before. He had turned up for the meeting at the Denver bank dressed in his best clothes. His collar chafed his neck and his knees had shook. He hated being in the city. All those buildings and people made him feel as if he couldn’t breathe. It hadn’t helped when the bank clerk had kept him waiting for well over an hour. As if to prove he was somehow more important a human being just because he worked in a bank.

  Mr. Winkle had been as officious as one would expect from a banker. He had read every word, every letter and figure regarding the accounts Mr. Brook had provided. It was obvious the store was turning a healthy profit and the price was reasonable.

  “How did you acquire your savings, Mr. Sullivan?”

  “When my pa died, he left me a little money. I bought some steers from the local ranch boss. I worked for him as a wrangler for a couple of years. I saved what I could.”

  “So, you have never actually worked in a store?”

  “No, sir, but I know how to do figures and keep books. Mr. Brook, the current owner, will stay to train me for a month to six weeks. He will head back East when the summer comes.”

  “You believe you can learn how to manage a business in a couple of months?”

  Daniel didn’t appreciate the banker’s tone.

  “Yes. The store is well placed with regular customers in a growing town. How hard can it be?” Daniel smiled, hoping to convince the banker he was in earnest.

  “Perhaps, Mr. Sullivan, but what happens when the call to go west comes again? I know what you cowboys are like. You try to settle down, but the wanderlust …”

  “Now listen here. I am no dumb cowboy. I ran those cattle to make sufficient money to buy me a business and settle down. I don’t know how many days you have spent on the trail, but believe me, I have no hankering for that life. Not anymore. Now are you going to lend me the money or should I take my business elsewhere?” Daniel tried to get a hold on his temper. They both knew there wasn’t really anywhere else for him to get the funds he needed.

  Mr. Winkle surveyed the papers and Daniel for a few minutes. Just as he felt the silence would go on forever, Daniel was surprised to see a ghost of a smile flicker across the banker’s face.

  “Okay, Mr. Sullivan. You have your loan.”

  “Thank you kindly, sir. I won’t let you down. I apologize for being ornery.” Daniel rose to shake the banker’s hand.

  “Not so fast, son. In addition to the mortgage on the property, the bank will have one further condition.” The banker stared straight at Daniel. “You must be married by the time you close the sale.”

  “Married?” Daniel sat with a bump. “In less than a month? But who? Why? Where am I supposed to find a bride?”

  “We are a bank, not a marriage bureau, so I am afraid I cannot help you answer the who or where.” The banker smiled as if to convey it was a joke. At Daniel’s blank stare, he continued swiftly. “But the why is simple. As a married man, you are less likely to answer the call of the trail. Now, do you want this loan or not?”

  The sound of the train’s whistle interrupted his musings. Daniel stood back to give the passengers leaving the train some room. Ma would be delighted he had to get married. She hated him being on the trail. She wanted her sons close and preferably married with children. Daniel laughed. Maybe his Ma had been in cahoots with Mr. Winkle all along. He wouldn’t put anything past her.

  He stepped into the train car, his bad mood all but disappearing. He would soon be home, back in his normal clothes eating Ma’s cooking. He would buy the store. He wasn’t going to let Mr. Winkle stand in his way. There had to be at least one eligible woman in Clover Springs. Ma had mentioned something about a widow who did some washing. He didn’t know anything about her, other than her husband’s sudden death had left her badly off. She could be ancient, ugly or both but given her being a widow, she wouldn’t be looking for a love match. It could be a business arrangement. The banker hadn’t said he had to stay married forever, just at the time the loan was drawn.

  Satisfied he had found the answer to his problems, he took his seat pulling his hat down over his eyes. In no time at all, he was fast asleep.

  Chapter 12

  Katie sat on the train seat, cuddling Ellen. With each passing hour, Boston and their horrible relations were left further behind. She couldn’t believe their plan had worked. Uncle Joseph had gone out of town and Nellie had somehow convinced Aunt Margaret to go to bed and rest. The girls had been able to sneak out of the house. Katie had written to Father Molloy, telling him the whole story and explaining why she was leaving. She hadn’t told him where they were going, as she couldn’t risk the priest telling Uncle Joseph—although she did wish she could be present when the priest confronted Uncle Joseph about his treatment of the Ryan girls. She didn’t think the old man would understand how anyone could have left the girls to fend for themselves.

  Aunt Margaret would get her comeuppance when she realized Nellie was leaving, too. Mrs. Gantley had welcomed Nellie like a long lost relative. Katie was glad her friend was going to a house where she would be treated properly. Nellie had promised to keep an eye on Mary Ryan. She had wondered if Mrs. Gantley might take on the girl to help in the house. Katie didn’t know if that would happen, but she kept her fingers crossed. Mam, work your magic and look after the Ryan girls as well as Nellie, please.

  Katie looked out the train window, her thoughts of Mam bringing tears. If Mam were still alive, she wouldn’t be going half way across the country to marry a man she hadn’t met. She wouldn’t be dragging Ellen with her either.

  She hadn’t told Mr. Cassidy about Ellen. She shook her head in frustration. It was too late for regrets. She had signed a contract. There was no going back now. Clear Creek, Colorado. That was her new home.

  Mam always said every cloud had a silver lining. Katie looked at the clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight. She sighed. She had to think positively. She and Ellen were together and in good health. Yes, but for how long? Nellie had told them awful stories about life on the frontier. Indians, blizzards and creepy critters bigger than the size of your hand. Stop it. What other good things could she think of?

  There was no Lord Harrington in Clear Creek. Katie’s hands clenched, her knuckles whitening, as she thought of the man who had evicted Katie and her family along with sixty other families in their village. Katie’s tears threatened to overflow as the memory of her father’s face filled her mind. She knew it had taken every ounce of strength he possessed not to raise a hand to the soldiers who had come to oversee the evictions. There was no point in arguing their case. It didn’t matter that their rent payments were up to date or that they had spent the last four years working as a community to reclaim over four hundred acres from the surrounding bog lands and turned it into fine pasture.

  Katie grimaced. Reclaiming that bog had been their undoing. Lord Harrington, or his despised land agent, had realized the value of grazing land and had decided to turn their village into one large pasture. They had arrested Liam and some of the other young men and sent them to prison in England . That wasn’t enough. They wanted to destroy their village, and accusing the villagers of hiding rebels gave them that excuse.

  Katie closed her eyes, trying not to relive the nightmare that had sent her to America. She saw the soldiers pull the roofs from their homes while the women of the village clung to the doorposts. Katie’s father had tried to restrain his wife but at the last minute, she broke free of his hold and had run back into their home, wanting to save a family heirloom. The roof had groaned loudly before caving in just as she disappeared through the doorway. Soldiers and villagers alike had to stop her father from going in after his wife. There was nothing they could do for the poor lady now.

  Katie blinked, trying to clear the gruesome images from her mind. She didn’t want to think of her father and the family she had left behind in Galway. She must look to the future and look for t
hat silver lining just as Mam had taught her. She looked up again at the sky. Mam, if you are up there, please help me make this marriage work. I’m scared. What if he doesn’t like me? Or what if he won’t take Ellen and sends us back?

  She felt her sister squeeze her hand.

  “You alright, Katie? Your face was all screwed up when you were sleeping.”

  “I am fine, sweetheart. I was dreaming of Horace. Do you remember how badly he smelled?”

  Katie was relieved to see the worried frown on her younger sister’s face replaced by the ghost of a smile.

  “He sure smelt bad, but he tasted so good. If I close my eyes, I can still taste Mam’s Christmas dinner. I know the youngsters were upset, but I wouldn’t mind a piece of Horace now.” Ellen unconsciously licked her lips. It had been a long time since they had eaten.

  “Excuse me, Miss, but did you just say you ate a man called Horace?”

  Katie and Ellen looked at the older man sitting across from them who was making no effort to hide his disdain. Katie didn’t know if it was their clothes, their accents or the fact that they were traveling without a chaperone that he disagreed with most. She didn’t care for him, either. He reminded her of Captain Brown, the officer in charge of the soldiers who had arrested Liam, and so heartlessly thrown them out of their home.

  “Our conversation is of no concern to you, sir, but please put your mind at ease. We killed a pig. My younger brother named him Horace, as he said he looked like our landlord’s son.”

  Katie turned to gaze out the window. She didn’t want to look at Ellen, sure if she did, they would both dissolve into fits of giggles. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a younger male passenger holding his hand to his mouth as if to hide a smile. She was drawn to look at him and blushed scarlet when he caught her gaze and winked back at her. She knew she should look away but she couldn’t. It was forward of him to behave like that, but instead of being angry, she was surprised to find her stomach doing somersaults. Her eyes moved over him. He was well dressed in a crisp white shirt and tailored suit. Self consciously she rubbed at the wrinkles in her clothes. After several weeks travelling, she must look a sight. She wondered where he was going? He looked like a business man – maybe a banker? Despite her best intentions, her gaze wandered back up to his eyes. Oh no. He had caught her. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes and lips twitching with barely suppressed laughter. She wondered what his laugh sounded like?

  Kathleen O’Callaghan, you are betrothed to another. You cannot be making eyes at a stranger, even if he is gorgeous. Dragging her eyes away, she forced herself to look out the window.

  Chapter 13

  Daniel had nearly bitten through his tongue in an effort not to laugh loudly at the image the girls had just described but when her eyes met his, all thoughts of laughter left him. He was no innocent but he couldn’t remember ever reacting to a woman as strongly as this. Her voice made the skin on his neck tingle. She was gorgeous despite her wrinkled and slightly grubby clothes. Her skin looked so soft. He had to sit on his hand, the temptation to touch her was so strong.

  He couldn’t believe he had missed her when he got into the train car. He wouldn’t have fallen asleep!

  He guessed she was travelling with her sister as there was some resemblance. They were both beautiful with black hair and slightly tanned skin. Although their accents were Irish, they looked Spanish. The younger girl had blue eyes but the older one had eyes the color of violets. He had been mesmerized as they flashed with anger at the older passenger.

  She reminded him of his older sister, Elizabeth. She had a fiery temper, too, and didn’t suffer fools gladly. She had married Daniel’s best friend about five years back. She kept her husband Harry and their two young sons in line, but his friend wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Amused, he watched as she examined him, waiting for her eyes to return to his face. She blushed furiously, the glow on her cheeks making her even more attractive. He had to bite his tongue again as she swiveled to stare out the window. He wasn’t the only one who felt the attraction between them.

  He fidgeted in his seat trying to sit more comfortably. He wanted to stretch out his legs; difficult to do anyway in the confined space but impossible when one was over six feet tall.

  He watched her as she gazed intently out the window. She sure seemed to find the endless grass prairie mighty interesting. Where was she going? Why was she travelling alone with a young girl? Didn’t she know how dangerous this territory could be? Especially for a woman who looked like she did. Was she married? He glanced at her hands but she was wearing gloves. He decided she wasn’t. No man in his right mind would let his wife travel unaccompanied. He definitely wouldn’t. Daniel sat up straighter. Where had that thought come from? Until yesterday, getting married hadn’t been on his agenda. His ambitions to build a bigger, more profitable store came first. Plenty of time for settling down when he was older. But if his wife looked like the dark haired stranger, maybe getting wed wasn’t such a bad idea after all. For the first time, he wished Ma had accompanied him on the trip to Denver. She could have struck up a conversation with the young ladies. It wasn’t proper for him to just start talking to her.

  Chapter 14

  The conductor wandered through the train car, checking on the occupants. He caught Katie staring at him and gave her a cheerful smile. He had a friendly face but looked rather old to be working. She could see him sitting in a rocking chair on one side of the fire, his wife sitting on the other side.

  “How are you this fine day, ladies?”

  Katie smiled at Ellen’s reaction. The younger girl got a thrill out of being addressed like an adult.

  “I’m hungry,” Ellen said. “Do the settlers eat similar type food to what we have been eating in Boston, Mr. Smithson?”

  “I don’t know what you ate, young lady, but out here it depends on who’s entertaining. Most of the settlers will hunt for game and meat to provide for their families. The womenfolk can make real tasty meals from bison or buffalo as well as guinea fowl and squirrels.”

  “You eat bison?” Ellen curled her lip in distaste.

  “Yes, Miss, and mighty tasty they are, too. The womenfolk grow corn, tomatoes and mushrooms in their gardens as well as many different herbs. Peaches and apples allow for some fine desserts.” Mr. Smithson patted his stomach. “My Annie makes a mighty fine peach cobbler.”

  Katie listened with half an ear as the conductor described all the different foods to Ellen. She hadn’t heard of half the varieties of meat. I only hope Mr. Cassidy has a cook who can train me. She stared at the bison grazing on the prairie. She couldn’t imagine any of those enormous animals landing in her cooking pot.

  She gazed in awe at the snow-covered mountaintops on the distant skyline. The view was incredible. She wondered what it would be like to climb to the top of one of these mountains. They seemed to be higher than the clouds, yet someone had mentioned there were many miners up there looking for the next big silver or gold deposits. It must be wonderful to be a man and have the freedom to climb mountains or go exploring the world, instead of having to marry a stranger in order to secure your future.

  Daniel wondered why the young woman looked so upset. He silently cursed polite conventions that prevented him from talking to her. She had been smiling as she looked at the view but now her face was full of sadness. He had heard of the troubles in Ireland. Many people were leaving to find new lives in America. Was she one of them? Was that why they were travelling alone? He wished Mr. Smithson, the conductor, would come back into the car. Mr. Smithson had stayed at Ma’s boarding house before. He was a friendly and talkative man.

  Chapter 15

  At the sound of the first gunshot, Ellen screamed and dug her nails into Katie’s arm. The engine came to a shuddering halt, throwing them both forward in their seats. They heard shouts to get off the train.

  “Put your hands over your head. Nobody will get hurt if you do as you are told.”

  Katie took
Ellen’s shaking hand and stood up. Her eyes widened as she noticed the young man opposite take his gun out of his holster.

  Before she could say anything, another passenger hissed, “Put that away, son. You heard them. They have no reason to hurt us. It’s the gold they want, not us. These ladies don’t want to get caught in any crossfire.”

  The younger man reluctantly put his gun back and moved toward the door of the train car. He jumped down and stood with his hands over his head. Katie pulled Ellen clear of the seat, and, pushing her sister behind her, followed the younger man’s lead. She climbed out. The young man went to offer her assistance, but a shout from the train robber told him to stand still. The robber turned to Katie.

  “I told you to put your hands on your head.”

  “You try climbing out of a train carriage wearing a dress and holding your hands over your head,” Katie shot back at the train robber. She turned and helped Ellen disembark. Holding hands, they moved slowly to the side to join the other passengers.

  She watched as the other passengers exited their cars. They held their hands over their heads as one of the train robbers removed the men’s guns. The raiders were wearing masks.

  “Gold, jewels, cash into the bag now. Be quick, mind. We don’t got all day.”

  The passengers handed over their valuables to one of the raiders as the other held a gun on them. Katie could see other masked men threatening the conductor. She didn’t know what he said, but cried out as they shot him. Instinctively, she let Ellen’s hand fall and moved forward to help, but found a hand at her side pulling her back. She looked into the face of the young man from their train car.