***
The train pulled into Wichita with a hiss, and Caroline could hear the brakemen outside calling to each other. Wallace had explained that the brakemen had a grueling and rigorous job. They had to go from car to car all the way down the length of the train and apply the brakes by hand, turning a crank. It didn’t matter the weather—they could be having a blizzard, and the brakemen would still be out there to see to the needs of the train.
Wallace was the first off the train to give the passengers a hand. Caroline remained in her seat until everyone else had cleared the car, and then she rose and descended. She was grateful for Wallace’s outstretched hand—the ground seemed to move beneath her feet, and she was certain she could still feel the vibrations of the train in her bones.
“Caroline!”
She looked up and saw Abigail stepping through the crowd to meet her. Deputy Hanks was just behind her, and gave Wallace a hearty handshake when they all met up.
“It’s so good to see you,” Caroline said in Abigail’s ear when they hugged. “Thank you for allowing me to spend the night.”
“Of course. I’ve only been gone a week and a half, but it feels so much longer. I’m sure that once I’ve gotten our house put together, I’ll miss the hotel less.”
“The marshal’s office provided a house as part of my salary, but the deputy who lived there before us wasn’t married, and Abigail’s had a challenge bringing it up to a woman’s standards,” Deputy Hanks said with a chuckle. “I’m not sure why curtains are important, but apparently, they are.”
“Of course they are,” Caroline replied. “A house simply isn’t a home without curtains. Drapes were one of the first things I ordered for the hotel.”
“See, my dear husband? Caroline agrees with me.” Abigail slipped her arm through the deputy’s.
“Oh, I never doubted you. I just didn’t understand,” he replied good-naturedly. “Now, if you don’t mind, I took the liberty of arranging a table at the hotel dining room for supper.”
“I’m very glad you did,” Wallace said. Caroline realized that he’d spent the entire stop in Topeka getting her settled and hadn’t taken time to eat.
Wallace left his valise with the station master, promising to come back for it later. Deputy Hanks led the way to a buggy that had been waiting just off to the side of the train station, and they drove to the small house the Hanks’ had been given. “We’ll leave your luggage here and go to dinner,” Abigail said. “Of course I want to hear all your news.”
Caroline’s heart dropped. The task was hers to tell them about Agatha—they wouldn’t have heard it any other way. While Deputy Hanks carried her satchel inside, Caroline reached out and touched Abigail’s shoulder. “I do have some sad news. Agatha had a heart attack a few days ago, and she hasn’t woken up since.”
Abigail’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no. How is Elizabeth?”
“She’s upset and worried, but carrying on as best as she can.”
“Please give her my best wishes. Oh, I’m so sorry to hear this.”
“However, I do have something exciting to tell you.” Caroline glanced over to where Wallace sat, then leaned forward and whispered Harriet’s news in Abigail’s ear.
“That’s wonderful! Oh, I’m so glad.”
Deputy Hanks returned from the house just then and climbed back into the buggy. “This hotel can’t compete with the Brody by any means, Miss Hampton, but I believe you’d enjoy their cornbread.”
“Then that’s what I’ll order. Thank you for the recommendation.”
All through dinner, Caroline couldn’t help but notice the easy way Abigail and the deputy interacted with each other, like two very good friends who could read each other’s thoughts. They teased and bantered, but they also exchanged loving looks, and Caroline felt a wave of jealousy sweep over her. No, it wasn’t jealousy exactly—she didn’t begrudge them their happiness at all. What was this feeling, then? Longing. That’s what it was—longing to have something like that for herself.
She glanced over at Wallace. Would the two of them ever develop that kind of relationship? Of course she realized that no two couples were exactly alike, but she did hope for a romance like Abigail’s, where she could look across the table and sense what her beloved was thinking, if only in a general way.
Even though Wallace had chosen her out of a crowd, she felt as though their pairing had been almost random—like her name had been drawn from a hat. Would he have courted any woman who’d come to run the hotel? Was she just in the right place at the right time?
She inwardly shook her head. No, he’d told her why he was drawn to her, and all of it was very specific to her. She had to trust that he saw qualities in her he could find nowhere else. Now she needed to find the qualities she wanted in him, and that could only happen as they spent time together—hopefully away from the noise of trains and the bustle of hotels.
Wallace took a sip of his water, then wiped his mouth. “Caroline, I wonder if I could invite you on an evening stroll.”
She looked at him in surprise. It was as if he’d read her thoughts, the very thing she’d just been wishing for. “I’d enjoy that very much.”
“Deputy, Mrs. Hanks, I’ll walk Caroline back to your place and have her there within the hour, if that suits.”
“Of course,” Deputy Hanks said. “Have a pleasant evening.”
Wallace placed some money on the table, then took Caroline’s elbow. “Ma’am,” he said, nodding to Abigail before leading Caroline away.
She took a deep breath as they exited the hotel. The air inside had been close and stuffy, not unusual for a busy dining room, and she was grateful to be back outside. In fact, between the hotel and being cooped up on the train for so long, she could almost fancy sleeping out of doors, if there was a safe way to go about it.
“So, what did you think of our journey here?” he asked as they strolled down the street away from the hotel.
“It was much nicer than my trip from New York. You keep your train very tidy, and I think it helped knowing that we were only going a short distance away. I was also fascinated by the things you taught me—how the train works and so forth. I can tell that you love what you do.”
“It’s become very much a part of me.”
“I can see that. So, for your sake, I’m willing to put aside any and all train prejudices I might have had, and to start seeing it through your eyes.”
Wallace grinned. “I’m very glad to hear that. And so’s the train.”
Caroline blinked. “I’m sorry—the train?”
“Of course. Trains have feelings too, you know.”
For a moment, she wondered if he’d gone mad, but then he chuckled. “I’m teasing you, Caroline. Mostly. I’m mostly teasing.”
She smiled, shaking her head. “You really shouldn’t. I don’t know you well enough yet to tell the difference.”
“I’ll try my hardest.”
“So, where do you live?” she asked, glancing around. They were passing stores and businesses at the moment, and she supposed the houses began on the next street over. She didn’t recognize anything from their drive to Abigail’s earlier.
“My house is right next to the railroad station. It makes things rather handy—I’m at work within seconds.”
“That would be rather handy.”
The evening sun dipped below the horizon, turning the sky into a riot of color—orange, magenta, yellow. Caroline nearly forgot she was supposed to be walking and stopped where she was, gazing up at the sky.
“I have never seen a sunset like this,” she murmured after a long moment. “It’s like someone’s box of watercolors got spilled on the carpet and made this glorious mess.”
“‘One touch of nature makes the whole world kin,’” Wallace quoted, his voice reverent.
They stood there for another long moment before Caroline blinked and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’ve just always enjoyed the sky—sunrises, sunsets.”
�
�And I thought you said you didn’t enjoy wasting time.”
“Watching a sunrise or a sunset is not wasting time, my dear sir.”
“And you, my dear lady, are a delightful ball of contradictions.” He held out his arm, and they continued their walk.
Before long, they turned the corner, and Caroline recognized the street where the Hanks’ lived. They must have been walking parallel, and she didn’t even realize it. It was a good thing she wasn’t in charge of navigating this trip.
They passed under the branches of a large oak, and Wallace reached out to take her hand. She let him, enjoying the feel of his fingers wrapped around hers. How long had it been since she’d held hands with a man? She cast her mind back. It must have been over twenty years. Gracious, that made her feel old. Maybe she’d be better off not trying to remember things like that.
They reached the Hanks’ home, and Wallace rested his free hand on the gate. He didn’t open it, however. Instead, he gave her fingers a little squeeze. “I’ll come by for you fairly early,” he said. “So we’d best both get some sleep.”
“That does sound like a good idea,” she replied.
“Sleeping is good,” he said, taking a step closer.
“It’s very useful.” Her heart began to pound at his nearness.
“I rather enjoy sleeping every single night.” Another step closer.
“Oh? How odd. I do too.” She looked into his eyes. In this dusky light, they looked like they had little golden flecks in them.
“Something we have in common, then?” he all but whispered.
“I believe so.” For one moment, she thought he was going to kiss her, and she wouldn’t have minded at all. But then he brushed a lock of hair from her cheek, and his touch tickled across her skin.
“Good night, Caroline. I’ll see you in the morning.” He opened the gate, and she walked through.
“Good night,” she said over her shoulder, not wanting to turn around for fear that her blush would give her away.
She opened the door to the Hanks’ and closed it behind her, leaning against it. Abigail looked up from her mending at the fireplace.
“How was your stroll?” she asked, a knowing smile on her face.
“It was . . . nice.” Caroline crossed the floor and sat in a chair near her friend, noticing that Abigail seemed to be sewing some curtains. She smiled. “It was odd, though, in a way. We didn’t talk about anything much.”
“Is that what strolling is about? Talking?” Abigail picked up her scissors and snipped a thread. “I thought talking was just something to do while you strolled.”
“So, what is the point of strolling, then?” Caroline asked.
Abigail grinned. “I’d say from the way you looked when you first walked in here, you know perfectly well what strolling’s about. And don’t pretend like you don’t.”
Caroline sighed. “All right, yes, I do. And I wouldn’t mind strolling again sometime.” She glanced around, suddenly wondering if Deputy Hanks could overhear them. That would be more than a little embarrassing. “Where’s your husband?”
“He had to go take care of an emergency, so he brought me home and headed back out again. And I do like the sound of that—‘my husband.’”
“I can tell that you’re happy.” Caroline smiled. “Are you liking Wichita?”
“I am. Because of Gabe’s position as the new lawman in town, everyone has been friendly, and they’ve gone out of their way to make us feel welcome. We’ll see how long that lasts—probably just until he has to arrest someone with a lot of influential friends.” Abigail put her project to the side and stood up. “Now, let me show you to your room. I imagine you’re tired, and the train does leave pretty early.”
“You have a separate room for guests?”
“We do, although it’s not much more than a closet.”
The room was small, but the bed was comfortable, and it felt good to lie down. Caroline rolled onto her side and gazed out the window, watching the stars become brighter and brighter until she closed her eyes and slept, her cheek still tingling where Wallace had caressed her.
Chapter Eleven
Caroline dressed in the pre-dawn light and slipped out into the main room, where Abigail was placing some biscuits on the table.
“You didn’t have to get up so early on my account,” she said.
“I actually haven’t been to bed yet,” Abigail confessed. “Gabe didn’t come home last night, and I’m worried about him.”
“Do you think anything’s wrong?”
“It could be, but then again, it might not. I imagine that after we’ve been married a little while, I’ll be able to sleep at night when he’s gone, but now, my imagination conjures up all kinds of things.”
“It must be hard, being the wife of an officer.”
“It’s hard, but I’ve never been happier in my life. Now, eat up—Mr. Dupree is going to be here any minute.”
Caroline helped herself to a biscuit with butter and honey and had just swallowed the last of her milk when a soft tap sounded at the door. Abigail wiped her hands on her apron and crossed the room.
“Mr. Dupree,” she greeted. “Come in and have a biscuit.”
“I have time for exactly one, thank you. Good morning, Caroline.”
His voice sounded as gentle as his touch on her cheek had been. “Good morning, Wallace. I’m ready to go.”
“Excellent. I’m sorry to rush you out the door like this.”
“No, I understand.” She told Abigail good-bye and gathered up her satchel while Wallace spread butter on his biscuit, and then they were off. Wallace munched as they walked out front.
“Is this your buggy?” she asked.
“No, I hired it for this morning.”
Caroline climbed up and arranged her skirts. “I’m afraid you’ve had to think of far too many things on my account.”
“I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to think about you so much.”
His tone was jovial, but his eyes were serious. “I’m honored,” she replied, not knowing what else to say.
In a matter of minutes, they had reached the station, and not another minute passed before the train came rumbling in.
“It’s time for my first inspection of the day,” Wallace said. “Would you like to walk around with me, or wait here on the bench by the ticket booth?”
“I’d like to walk around and see firsthand what it is that you do,” she replied.
He stowed her satchel away, then led her from car to car. This train had a caboose and he checked to make sure that the paperwork was in order, then he performed the safety inspections he’d mentioned the day before. There were so many things to check, she was amazed he was able to get through them all in the time allowed.
Before she knew it, the platform had filled with people, and it was time to load everyone up.
“Eastbound train headed for Topeka, leaving in two minutes. All aboard!”
As the passengers took their seats, Caroline noticed one young woman traveling alone with her three small children. They looked tired, and Caroline wondered what kind of struggle it had been to get them all awake and dressed before it was time to board. The oldest was a boy, probably seven years old, and the youngest was a baby too young to sit up on its own. The middle child, a girl, slid down in her seat, a pout on her face.
There weren’t many other passengers this time, perhaps only a dozen. They all seemed to have come aboard in Wichita—Caroline hadn’t seen anyone on this car when the train stopped. She imagined some days of the week were busier than others, and one could never predict things like family parties or funerals. She spent the first several minutes of the ride inventing stories for the passengers, giving them each fictitious names and reasons for traveling that day.
Wallace came down the aisle and paused to speak with her. He no sooner had said hello when he was nearly knocked over by the oldest boy of the little family, who had run up the aisle and plowed into his knees.
; “Hello there, son. What’s your name?” Wallace said after catching the child by his shoulder.
“Billy.”
“And how old are you, Billy?”
“I’m eight.”
Oh, well. Caroline had been a year off in her estimate.
“Billy, it’s not safe for you to run around the train. You should walk slowly and hold on to the seats. If you fell, you could get hurt. Do you understand?”
Billy nodded, and Wallace let him go, watching to make sure the boy walked calmly back to his seat. Then he turned to Caroline again. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to ask how you’re doing.”
“I’m quite well.” She gave him a smile. His lips twitched, and she knew he was remembering their stroll the night before. Stroll—she’d never thought about it before, but that word was rather magical.
“I’ll be back in a little while, then.” Wallace gave her a wink that was so slight, she wondered if she’d imagined it. She smiled again, and he went on his way.
Moments later, Billy came running up the aisle again, war whooping and yelling out threats to scalp all the passengers. Wallace caught him at the head of the car and marched him back to his seat, where he took a moment to speak with the boy’s mother. The noise of the car was such that Caroline couldn’t hear a thing, but the mother smiled and nodded, and Caroline imagined that Wallace had been able to smooth any ruffled feathers while explaining what needed to be done.
The train rumbled on, and the early-morning wakeup soon took its toll. Several of the passengers nodded off, and although Caroline was used to being up to greet the dawn, her eyes began to feel heavy as well.
“Come with me for a moment,” Wallace said, appearing at her elbow. She was more than glad to stand up and move around.
He led her out to the platform on the back of the train and wrapped one arm around her waist so she wouldn’t lose her balance as the car swayed from side to side. Her upbringing told her to reject this closeness, but her instincts told her she was safe with him, and in fact, safer than she would be otherwise because he was protecting her.
The Whisper of Morning (Kansas Crossroads Book 6) Page 7
