When they had approached his house, he tied his house to a pole outside on the side of his house after helping her down. Unhooking her luggage, he took her inside his house and started a fire for her.
"I have to get back to town, but you're welcome to help yourself to any food or drink in the house. The spare bedroom is right there. The outhouse is directly behind the house off the kitchen, you should be able to see it easily enough. It's on the right side of the barn." Dave told her, and then he tipped his hat to her as he grabbed his gloves back off the coffee table where he'd put them when he'd helped Penelope bring her luggage in.
"Thank you Sherriff, I appreciate this more than you know," She told him, hugging her arms around herself. Shivering from the cold she couldn't even feel her toes anymore and wanted to get out of her boots.
"Not a problem, we can talk more in the morning. I hate to see such a pretty lady struggling and sad looking. I don't know what your story is, but if you need someone to listen, I'd like to hear it." With that he tipped his hat to her again and went back outside to go finish his job for the night.
Penelope realized how soft and cozy his house was. It may not be as large as the house she'd just come from, but this actually had a lived in feel. It made her feel comfortable and like she wouldn't be in trouble if she slept. Going to the bedroom she unpinned her hair and took off her outer winter clothes. Hanging them up on the hooks that were on the wall, she appreciated the bed. It was quite comfortable, and feeling safe, she drifted off quickly.
She awoke in the morning to the sound of banging in the kitchen and the smell of coffee being brewed. Her mouth watering, she went into the kitchen to see if she could help with anything.
"I brought some bread from the local baker for breakfast, my cold room has some cheese and butter in it if you'd like me to grab a chunk to go with it." Dave offered as he set the pot of coffee and two cups on the wood table in the kitchen.
When Penelope nodded, he grabbed the butter and some cheese and set it on the table too and grabbed a knife. Sitting down he poured the coffee for them and she felt odd having someone else taking care of her instead of her being the one to serve him.
"So, why were you wandering the snowy roads last night? You could have frozen to death." He asked her as he grabbed a hunk of bread and ripped it off and put a piece in his mouth. He chewed slowly watching her waiting for a response.
"It's a long story, but I guess if you really want to hear it," Penelope sighed and shrugged. "I'd worked with that family for over two years. When you don't have a lot of options to survive, you do whatever they ask. The Master got me pregnant in order to force me to give the baby to his wife since they couldn't appear to have children together. When I refused, he kicked me out promising to have me shunned. I was going to go to the local inn, if I'd made it and then try to find a way to get enough money to go back east to my mother."
"You're pregnant and they made you leave alone? When it was getting dark and snowing?" He looked outraged on her behalf and then the rest of what she said sunk in. "That is completely wrong that he took advantage of your position in their household. What a cad."
"It's not uncommon. Servants are sometimes required to do things they dislike to keep their positions and jobs. I just didn't realize that his attention had a specific purpose for his wife. I will be shunned if I stay here. He will make sure of it, and either try to take my baby from me, or make sure I starve to death because no one will give me work. I don't have many options. Women in my position don't." Penelope told him and ate some of the bread. Normally she was used to stale bread, and having it fresh was a special treat.
"What if I can offer you a job?" Dave asked her, watching her intently.
"You would risk them trying to jeopardize your job as Sheriff?" Penelope was shocked.
"I don't tell many people this, but I have quite a bit of money. My being the Sheriff is because I want to help keep the town safe. When my family died, I sold our family ranch to a neighbor who wanted to expand his holdings. I am set for life as long as I don't waste all my money on nonsense." Dave grinned at her, "I would even go so far to say that I have more money than he does and he's not a threat to me."
"You don't live like you have a lot of money," Penelope said surprised, then realized how rude that sounded and dipped her head down. "Sorry, that didn't come out right. I apologize for my rudeness."
"Don't, I know what you meant, and I live this way on purpose. I buy what I need. Occasionally I indulge in something special, like a new book or fresh bread, but I'm a simple man with simple needs. I can afford to pay you salary monthly to help me around here, if you're interested." Dave offered her. "I'd feel safer knowing someone was here to keep an eye on the animals while I'm gone. I've had coyote's steal some of my chickens lately, and having someone able to take a shot at them would make a difference."
"I've never fired a gun before." Penelope admitted, but she was interested. Dave was a handsome man, who seemed to be as beautiful and handsome on the inside as he was on the outside and she knew that it felt like the offer was too good to be true. The thing was, she trusted him. Her gut trusted him, and the desire to be free and survive on her own without going all the way back home made her want to say yes.
"I can teach you. I'll have simple requirements. Keep the room you're staying in clean, help with the laundry, cooking, cleaning, and the animals. I work, and sometimes the hours make it so I kind of needed to hire someone just to stay at the house to protect them. Especially with the rustling of cattle that's been going on lately. My house would be a target if no one's here at night to keep it from being broken into. Now, I don't think it would happen, but having a fire going here and someone to keep an eye on it would keep my property much safer." Dave told her and smiled.
"If you seriously want to offer me a job, and you'll teach me how to shoot a gun, I won't say no. I can also read and write. So if you need help with anything of that nature, I can also provide services." Penelope told him, and for the first time in days she took a deep breath and let herself truly relax and feel safe. She hadn't realized how scared she'd been until he'd offered her a solution and a way out in the middle of all her angst.
"Deal," Dave told her.
Penelope realized there was one slight problem. "What about my pregnancy? If I'm living here with you as hired help, and when I give birth in a few months, people will think it's yours. I don't want to tarnish your reputation."
"You let me worry about that," Dave told her and put his hand out over hers that she had resting on the table.
Penelope looked down at where his large hand rested over her smaller one and was surprised at how nice the touch felt. She felt her face flame with attraction to him and was grateful her skin was dark so he couldn't tell. Dropping her gaze to her lap she realized that this is what got her into this mess, and that's the last thing she needed now was to get involved emotionally or physically with another man. No matter how tempting he might be.
Smiling at him she pulled her hand back and finished eating, then offered to clean the dishes.
"I'm going to hit the sack for a few hours to get some rest. The animals need watered. You'll find the buckets in the barn, and my water spout off the back of the barn. There's hay in the storage loft along with grain for the chickens. The cows are out in the field with a few of the sheep I own, but I wouldn't go out there. My dog doesn't like strangers and may attack you. He pretty much lives with them full time. I throw food out for him a few times a week." Dave told her and got up, stretching to yawn. "When I wake up, we can discuss more details about how our arrangement will work. If you don't want people to know you're here, we can keep it a secret if it makes you feel better. But you'll need to see a doctor when you get more pregnant. I know I can count on Doc Sanders to keep his mouth shut about you. He's a good man."
Penelope nodded and cleared the dishes, appreciating the breakfast and coffee. Watching him leave the room to go rest, she wondered if this situation was a good ide
a or not.
In the heat of the moment, it felt like the answer to her prayers, but living in such close quarters to a man she knew she could respect and was clearly attracted too, she wondered if she'd end up with a broken heart in the long run. She felt like this had the potential to blow up in her face if she wasn't careful, and she would need to keep him at arms’ length at all times for this to work.
Putting her hand on her belly, she wondered what he would do once the baby was born. When he woke up, she would need to talk to him about the realities of having a baby around or if the job offer was temporary, and once she had the baby, she would need to leave.
Feeling overwhelmed she sat down at the table and cried.
Chapter 3
Penelope and Dave fell into a workable rhythm together at his house. She'd even met his dog and the dog accepted her, which had surprised Dave. Then he'd proclaimed the dog to have good taste and had given her a shoulder hug.
They got along well. He was easy to talk too, and despite coming from a wealthier background than most, he didn't flaunt his money, or act like he was better than anyone else. The two of them were getting to be friends, and Penelope had been intending to bring up the baby situation with him to talk about what their plan would be when the baby got here, but so far, the timing hadn't been right.
She was starting to show now, and she knew the town had figured out that she was staying with him. Her previous Master had caused a huge fight with Dave over him hiring her and letting her live at his house, and Dave had handled it well. She'd been surprised that many of the townsfolk's seemed to side with Dave when he'd defended her.
The only problem was she couldn't hide her pregnancy much longer, and she knew that once it got out, they would assume it was Dave's. It didn't seem to bother him at all, but she knew that it was probably because the baby wasn't real to him yet. The concept of a pregnancy sort of made itself more apparent once you couldn't hide the belly anymore, or the cries of a newly born infant.
She was washing laundry in the yard and hanging it up trying to decide how to broach this subject with him, when her former Mistress walked around the back of her house shocking her.
"Penny?" She said quietly, looking sad and a little lost.
Penelope wasn't sure if she should feel sorry for the poor woman, and stop and listen to her, or feel threatened that she sought her out alone in an isolated area. Realizing that she had a gun in her apron she took a deep breath and wiped her hands on it and stood up to face her.
"What can I do for you? Dave's not here right now, if you want me to give him a message-" Penelope started to say when she held up her hand and cut her off.
"I'm not here for Dave, I'm here to talk to you. I want you to reconsider giving us the baby. I don't want to make demands; I want to ask you nicely. I know that we over-reacted when you said no. I know it was unfair that my husband visited your room and pressured you into something when your job was on the line, and I'm sorry we didn't ask you for permission before we concocted our plan." The woman started to cry and Penelope almost felt the urge to hug her and comfort her, but then she remembered how they threw her out in the snow, not caring if she or the baby came to harm in the snow and forced her heart to harden. Don't let a few tears sway your opinion in this situation.
"Ma`am, I understand how badly you want a baby, but trying to steal mine isn't the way to go about it. There are plenty of orphanages and women who'd willingly give you a baby in return for money. I just cannot give up mine. I hope you understand at this point it's not personal. I just cannot carry a baby for nine months and not keep it." Penelope tried to explain to her gently, hoping that she would understand. What she hadn't expected was the woman to go from crying, to attacking her in a split second.
Penelope tried to cover her face as the woman tried to strike her repeatedly in the face and fell over the water bucket and landed on the ground. Pulling out her pistol she aimed it at the woman who stopped when she saw the gun.
"I don't want to shoot you, but you need to leave. If you come out here again, I will shoot you next time. There won't be any time for conversations. You are not welcome around me, or my home. Get out of here, and I will be telling Dave about your visit and don't think that violence like this will go without consequences." Penelope told her, talking a big game, but knowing that without witnesses, Dave couldn't do much to help her.
But the angry looking woman in front of her didn't know that, so she continued to bluff.
"This isn't over. I will have your baby and nothing you can do will stop me from taking it from you." The lady threatened her and then left, leaving Penelope to climb up off the ground and hope she was okay.
The rest of the laundry had spilled out into the now muddy ground from the water soaking into the earth, and Penelope realized she'd have to start over on the wash. Her heart was pounding from the confrontation and she realized that she wouldn't be safe here.
What she needed was a husband. Maybe she could advertise as a mail order bride. She could ask Dave what he thought. Maybe he'd know how to help her find a husband or if going back home was the safest option she had.
The idea of leaving this town and the people she'd come to love, broke her heart. She'd attended church every week since she'd come here, and Dave had continued to take her on Sundays. She'd miss people. She'd miss the mostly quiet serenity that this place had to offer.
Realizing her dress was ruined with mud, she went to change her clothes and lock herself in the house until Dave got home and she could talk to him. This surprise visit made her realize she couldn't put off the baby conversation anymore and it had to happen.
She just hoped Dave would help her find a solution that wouldn't make her miserable for the rest of her life. She feared going back home. She'd come out west because there were more job opportunities and a better chance of having a good life. Feeling trapped and like her fragile thread of hope had been completely torn to shreds she realized she'd been hiding out here, living a fantasy and it was time to face reality.
Even if it unpleasant.
Chapter 4
"Dave?" Penelope asked him as she set dinner on the table. He actually cooked for her too frequently, and she appreciated it. She didn't mind doing most of the domestic work, but he seemed to like to enjoy doing things for her sometimes. Their friendship was rather weird, and would probably startle most people.
"What's going on Penny?" He asked her as he sat down to eat, he'd shortened her name to a nickname and used it quite affectionately.
"I had a visitor today, and it made me realize we need to talk about the baby," Penelope told him as she sat down and dished herself up a plate of food.
She explained what happened. How her old Mistress had visited her, threatened her, begged for her baby, how she'd pulled a gun on her, and made her leave.
Dave sat back and set his fork down and just stared at her for a moment.
"I think I need to plan to leave either right after the baby is born, or work on finding myself a husband. I don't want to go back home to my mother. I got a letter from her and she told me that the trains are constantly being raided near them and there's a good chance something bad would happen." Penelope grabbed her water goblet and took a drink before setting it back on the table. She was unable to read Dave's face, but she was worried he was upset with her.
"I cannot believe that idiot would think to come here and accost you like that," Dave all but growled, looking quite fierce. Penelope was flattered he was so protective of her. "Of course it's not safe for you to go back home. You aren't going anywhere Penny, it's safest for you to stay here. The baby is welcome here too."
"The problem is I will be an unwed mother. Unless, I go somewhere no one knows me and claim to be a widow, or have a husband, we will never be treated well. If I stay here, they will think the baby is yours." Penelope told him gently and reached across the table to grab his hand. "Don't you think that you deserve better than having the town’s people think the worst about
both of us? Living in sin, I've heard the rumors already at church."
"So? I don't care what they think," Dave told her and gave her a firm look that told her she shouldn't worry about their opinions either.
"But my child will be tortured, mistreated, they may not let him or her attend the local school house, and the church will shun me. I know that it's not going to go well for me if I stay here after the baby is born Dave. I think maybe I should put an ad in the paper to be a mail order bride." She told him gently, hoping he'd agree to help her.
"Absolutely not! You might get murdered, or abused, or the man might be a child abuser. There's no way I'm helping you marry a total stranger that you meet via a random piece of paper." Dave pulled his hand away and ran his fingers through his hair in his agitation with the situation.
"I'm sorry Dave, I wasn't trying to upset you. I just wanted to find the best solution to the problem." Penelope told him.
"Then you'll marry me," Dave told her bluntly and crossed his arms. "We get along well, I can afford a wife and child, and I wouldn't mind claiming the baby as my own. You'll get the protection you need, the child gets a name, and I get a woman I respect to be my wife. One I know I can already handle living with."
"You seem to have it all figured out, and what about our other differences?" She asked him bluntly. Her being mixed race could cause some issues.
"Do you think I seem to care? Out here, people care less about skin color than they do about hard work, money, and what clothes you wear. You'll be my wife, I'll make sure you don't want for anything and no one would dare cause problems for us or our children." Dave looked at her sternly, being logical. "I would love more than one child, if you did agree to marry me, I'd want a big family. My mother died in childbirth with my younger brother. Because of it, dad never remarried and I was raised alone. I don't want that for my child. It's lonely."
"You're offering me marriage, a family, more children, a home, and comfort? It seems too good to be true. What's the catch Dave?" Penelope asked him quietly. She would be considered damaged goods by most men, especially carrying the seed of another man. How could he over look that?
The Taken Bride: A Medieval Romance Page 29
