by Merry Farmer
“We’re here, Mama, we’re here.” Petey and Matthew bounced and chatted, attempting to scramble past Libby and into the aisle.
Libby had to deal with them, but she was wracked with guilt over what she’d done to Miriam…and Cody.
“Please reconsider,” she begged Miriam as she stood, grabbing the boys’ hands to keep them from running wild. “Cody is a good man. He’s—”
“We’re here, we’re here. Come on, Mama, let’s go.”
“Be still for just one moment, sweethearts.” Exasperation warred with remorse for the chief place in Libby’s emotions. “Petey, take this bag, please.”
She reached up to grab one of two carpetbags from the rack above Miriam’s head. Petey dutifully took it, but Matthew darted off down the aisle. The conductor caught him before he could escape the train, but Libby had to move.
“You’ll have to tell him for me,” Miriam blurted before Libby could plead her case any more.
“Me?”
“Yes, you said that you know Cody, and his brothers.”
Libby blinked fast. “I haven’t spoken to any of them in years, except through their sister. I’m not sure they would even remember my face if they saw it.”
Miriam stood, grasping Libby’s free hand. “No one could forget you, Libby. Please tell Cody that I can’t marry him, but that I wish him well. Tell him I wish for him to find love somewhere out there in the vastness of life and the wilderness.” She was back to performing as if in front of an audience.
“Ma’am,” the conductor called from the door, where he was now holding back two boys. “Sorry, but we ain’t got all day. Train’s gotta move on as soon as the luggage is unloaded.”
“Yes, I’m sorry. Coming.” Libby gave the man a frazzled smile, then turned back to Miriam. “Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”
“I absolutely will not.” Miriam tilted her chin up, striking a pose. That pose melted moments later. “But I will write to you, if that’s all right with you.”
“Yes, certainly. I believe Haskell is small enough that if you address a letter to Libby Sims or Elizabeth Sims, it will find its way to me.”
“Then that’s what I shall do.” Miriam let Libby go. Libby started down the aisle, to where her boys were jumping up and down in their eagerness to get off the train.
“I see Grandma and Grandpa waiting,” Petey said.
“And when I write,” Miriam went on, “will you write back to tell me how Cody Montrose took things?”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Libby answered.
It was all the answer she could give. A moment later, she was swept off the train by two bundles of energy in the form of boys who wanted to see their grandparents. Her stomach continued to lurch and roll as she stepped down onto the platform in Haskell, and her head spun and pounded.
“Grandma! Grandpa!”
She watched her two boys rush into the arms of their adoring, adoptive grandparents, and at last the twisted tangle of emotions that she’d lived with for the past six weeks began to ease. Josephine was so happy to see Petey and Matthew that she was near tears. Pete Evans, her little Petey’s namesake, wore a proud, mannish smile that barely disguised his own delight.
Libby burst into a smile herself. Half a heartbeat later, her face contorted with tears. She’d come so far and struggled for so long. She’d lost Teddy and broken her heart as she laid him to rest in the rich, dark, Oregon earth. And then she’d shamed herself beyond reckoning. The only place she wanted to be was in the arms of her family, but as soon as she revealed what she’d done and the inescapable consequences of those actions, they would turn her out and treat her with all the disdain she deserved.
“Libby? Libby Sims?”
The voice that greeted her struck Libby like the crack and crash of a tree being felled. She hadn’t heard that voice for years, yet its vibrations shook the already-crumbling foundation on which she stood. Eyes wide, cheeks red, heart pounding, she turned to look for him.
And there he was, at the far end of the platform, standing with Cody and Travis and a dark-skinned woman that Libby didn’t know.
“Mason?” His name caught in her throat, and she burst into tears.
Chapter Two
From the moment the train pulled into Haskell’s station, the hair on the back of Mason’s neck had been standing up. It didn’t matter how much he rubbed his neck and shoulders or paced the narrow confines of the platform, the itching sensation wouldn’t go away.
“They wrote from Hurst Home to tell me she’s pretty,” Cody went on, jumpy enough on his own to challenge a jackrabbit. “Mrs. Breashears’s letter says she has long blonde hair and pretty eyes, and that she used to be an actress.”
“Yes,” Wendy, Mason and Cody’s sister-in-law, agreed with a reserved arch of her brow. “Miriam is certainly beautiful and dramatic.”
Cody’s grin slipped a bit as he glanced to Wendy. About six weeks ago, Wendy had come to Haskell to marry Cody, but the moment Cody saw she was black, he rejected her out of hand. It was a good thing their brother Travis had been there to offer for Wendy’s hand. As far as Mason was concerned, it didn’t matter what Wendy looked like, she was one of the most elegant and sensible women he’d ever met. She had a calming way about her, although right now, even Wendy’s grace couldn’t dampen the prickles racing up and down Mason’s spine.
Mason kept his mouth shut. He turned to watch passengers disembarking from the train once it had reached a full stop. He crossed his arms, but ended up tapping his foot, his restlessness was so bad. And he didn’t have a clue what was causing it.
“Do you see them yet?” Off to the side, Josephine Evans stood with her husband Pete.
“Nope,” Pete answered. He wore an expectant smile over his usual steadiness.
Maybe that’s what had Mason so uneasy. Josephine always came to meet the mail-order brides getting off the train, but not Pete. Virginia Piedmont had come along today as part of the welcome crew too, but she stood chatting with Travis instead of straining to get a look at the train with Josephine. Josephine and Virginia were usually thick as thieves when new brides came to town, rushing forward to introduce themselves and make the young ladies feel welcomed, but they weren’t even standing together today. Mason didn’t know anything about how women interacted with each other, but—
His thoughts stopped short and his heart dropped like a rock into his stomach as two small boys leapt down from the train car and scrambled across the platform to Josephine and Pete, hollering, “Grandma, Grandpa.” There were only two boys who would do that. A moment later, Libby Sims stepped down as well. And Lord help them all, she was dressed head to toe in black.
“Oh, Libby,” he whispered, heart breaking for her. It had been years since he had seen her, and to see her like this hurt. There was only one reason a woman dressed all in black. Something must have happened to Teddy. His restless itching collapsed into gut-deep sorrow.
“Oh, no,” Travis echoed his thoughts somewhere behind Mason. He saw the widow’s weeds too.
Mason was already moving forward by the time Libby took two steps across the platform, his heart aching for her as it thumped against his ribs. “Libby? Libby Sims?”
She heard him, stiffened, and looked around. Their eyes met. Her beautiful hazel eyes that had been so quick to shine with laughter all those years ago were glassy with grief and fear now.
Yes, fear.
“Mason?” She choked on his name, then burst into tears.
Without knowing what was going on or if anything was being done about it, Mason wanted to fly to her, wrap her in his arms, and crush whoever had brought such misery on her shoulders. He picked up his pace as he strode to her, but held back at the last minute. Not for the first time, he gritted his teeth and reminded himself that Libby was someone else’s wife.
Someone else’s widow.
“Libby, darling, whatever is the matter?” Josephine was a shade faster than Mason. She surged forward, throwing out her arms so t
hat Libby could sag against her. “Oh, my dear, sweet girl. I’m so sorry. It’s all right now, you’re all right.”
Libby let out a long sob, then seemed to pull on some inner strength to stand straight and wipe away the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. “I’m all right,” she gasped, wet eyelashes fluttering. “I’m all right. I’m here now. That’s all that matters.”
“And we’re here for you,” Josephine said, hugging her tighter.
“All aboard,” the conductor called from the stairs leading up to the train car that Libby and her boys had climbed down from. The train let out a sharp whistle, and steam puffed around the engine.
“Hold on a second.” Cody hollered, jogging up to the side of the train.
Mason ignored him. Whatever his brother’s problem was, Libby needed him more right then.
Surprisingly enough, in spite of her tears, Libby didn’t ignore Cody. She turned to him right as Cody was calling out to the moving train, “Where’s my bride? I was promised a bride.”
“Sorry, son,” the conductor called back as the train picked up speed.
Cody chased it for a few feet before the pile of luggage that Athos Strong had unloaded from the baggage car got in his way.
“One moment.” Libby held up a finger to Josephine, slipping out of the comfort of her arms.
She fluttered a quick glance up to Mason. The prickles down Mason’s back returned fourfold, but with them, his heart spun in circles. Libby turned away and marched after Cody, hands clasped in front of her.
“Cody,” she began so softly that Mason was certain whatever she was going to say would be bad, bad news. “I’m afraid she’s not coming.”
Cody twisted away from the baggage and the departing train. He’d already shoved one hand into his hair, and as he turned around to face Libby, mouth hanging open in shock, he let his arm drop. “What?”
Libby shifted her weight from one hip to the other, glanced down, then dragged her eyes up to meet Cody’s. “Miriam Long. Your bride. She’s…she’s not coming.”
“But she was supposed to be on that train. She sent a letter saying she would be and everything.”
Mason inched to the side so that he could watch Libby’s face during the exchange as well as his brother’s. For someone who had just burst into tears, she seemed so self-assured now.
“I spoke to Miriam on the train,” she said. “We talked about…things.” For just a moment, Libby glanced down, pink glowing on her face. “She told me that she was having second thoughts, that she didn’t think she could marry a man she’d never met after all.”
“But…but you know me. We go way back,” Cody insisted. “Couldn’t you have told her I was a good man?”
“I did.” Libby nodded, then did her best to smile at Cody.
Mason’s breath caught in his lungs. So much misery of her own, and here Libby was trying to comfort his brother—who probably deserved a little of his own medicine after what he’d done to Wendy. Mason’s estimation of Libby rose even higher than the heights it already occupied.
“I’m sorry.” Libby reached out and touched Cody’s arm. “But believe me. It’s better to be sure about something like marriage so that you don’t come to regret it later.”
She twisted her head ever so slightly to the side, lowered it and her eyes just a little. A few more inches, and she’d be looking right at him. Mason’s heart skipped a beat. Was she trying to tell him something?
No, of course not. What had—or rather, hadn’t—happened between them had been almost ten years ago. Libby and Teddy were happy, in love. They were…or had been.
“Aw, shucks, Libby,” Cody burst out all of a sudden. “You’re wearing black. Did something happen to Teddy?”
The spell of Cody’s troubles was broken, and Libby’s face crumpled back into tears. She nodded, pressing a hand to her stomach. “He’s dead,” she squeaked out. “Fell from a tree while topping it.”
“Oh, Libby.” Cody surged forward, hugging Libby like a brother. She relaxed into his embrace and let her head rest on his shoulder.
A spike of jealousy surged through Mason. He shook his head, tamping it down. He had no right, and besides, now was not the time to think about him and his old regrets. Now was the time to support Libby in her grief.
“Is there anything we can do?” he asked, stepping forward.
Libby shook her head, lifting it from Cody’s shoulder. She stepped away from him and turned to look at Mason, wiping her tears, unsmiling.
Fear pinched her expression. Fear and pain.
Mason took another step toward her, his heart pounding. Something was wrong. The Libby he knew and lo—the Libby he knew would force herself to smile through her grief. She would talk about how much she loved Teddy and how he had always been so brave and so daring in his work. She stood before him now, back rigid, hand pressed over her stomach, eyes somehow both weary and terrified.
There was something else going on.
“Come back home with us.” Josephine stepped in, putting her arm around Libby and helping her take a few steps toward the edge of the platform. “I’ve got a room made up for you and the boys. Muriel is in school, of course, but she’ll be out soon. Freddy is still at work at the livery.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Travis interrupted. “I’m just in the process of taking over from Mr. Waters, and Freddy’s come on part-time to help maintain the carriages. We couldn’t both be off, and Freddy volunteered to stay at work so I could come with Wendy to meet Cody’s bride.”
“That’s just like Freddy.” Libby managed the ghost of a smile, but it didn’t last. She blinked a few times, as if trying to pull herself together. “Annabelle wrote to tell me you’d been married, Travis.”
“Yes, just recently.” Through the awkwardness that surrounded their group, Travis somehow had the presence of mind to take Wendy’s hand and bring her forward. “This is Wendy.”
Libby held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Wendy.”
“And you.” Wendy took Libby’s offered hand with both of hers. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“We’ve known Libby for years,” Travis explained to his wife. “She and Teddy came to stay with us for the summer, oh, about ten years ago now, when they were newlyweds.”
“I see.” Wendy nodded.
Their large, somber group stepped down from the platform and started along Station Street. As they crossed the junction with Main Street, Virginia veered off to meet Charlie Garrett, who must have been headed to the station to see how Cody liked his new bride. He was the third member of the trio who arranged for the girls to come to Haskell, after all. No doubt the entire town would know what had happened before the sun set—to Cody and to Libby.
“Libby was the one who alerted us that Howard Haskell was looking to hire ranch hands after our father’s timber operation failed,” Travis went on. “She’s stayed in touch with Annabelle all these years, and Annabelle relayed the message to us. If not for Libby, we probably wouldn’t be here.”
“Then I can’t thank you enough.” Wendy smiled, taking Travis’s arm. “I don’t know what I would do without this man.”
The outpouring of love that shone from both Wendy’s and Travis’s faces as they smiled at each other was enough to make Mason feel self-conscious. He hoped he’d never been that obvious about things back all those years ago when Libby had stayed with them. He’d never gotten brave enough to declare himself that summer before figuring out Libby was married, thank heavens. Libby hadn’t been aware of his burst of confused feeling. It was a good thing he’d managed to stay friends with Teddy and put all that behind him.
Far, far behind him.
“I never realized Libby was the one who got you boys the job at Paradise Ranch,” Pete said. He’d been silent up until then, choosing to hug and comfort and chatter with Libby’s two boys on the sidelines while the rest of them got reacquainted.
“We owe her a lot,” Mason confirmed. More than he wanted to th
ink about, really.
“You must come over to our apartment for supper sometime soon,” Wendy said.
“Really?” Libby blinked rapidly.
“Yes, of course.” Wendy smiled.
“Oh, well, thank you.”
It seemed odd to Mason that Libby would question a simple supper invitation. Come to think of it, she kept pressing her hand over her stomach. Maybe she was feeling sick from the long journey.
Instinct told him it was something else.
“Now, you must excuse me,” Wendy continued. “Since there isn’t going to be a wedding this morning, I need to get back to work.”
“Wendy owns the town’s new dress shop,” Travis added proudly.
“Oh.” Libby tried to smile. She let her arms drop to her sides.
“Well, what am I going to do if I’m not getting married today?” Cody grumbled.
A flash of indignation made Mason frown. Poor Libby had lost her husband and traveled hundreds of miles, and all Cody could think about was his own hurt feelings. It was no wonder that bride of his refused to get off the train.
“You’re going to learn your lesson and start acting like a man worthy of getting married,” Mason blurted, harsher than he’d planned to be.
Cody snapped a peevish look in his direction, then slumped. “Yeah, maybe,” he mumbled.
Mason winced, stepping over to his brother and thumping him on the back in apology. “Come on. I’ll buy you a drink before we head back to the ranch.”
Cody mumbled something indistinguishable and shuffled off toward Main Street and The Silver Dollar Saloon. Travis and Wendy nodded and went on their way. Mason started after Cody, but stopped in mid-step. He pivoted to face Libby.
“I…” The itch that had plagued him that morning was back. What was he supposed to say? That he was glad Libby would be living nearby, even if it was because her husband was dead? That he was looking forward to renewing their friendship now that it was appropriate? That…that he suddenly remembered what hope felt like? The woman was grieving. “I’ll come around sometime to see how you’re getting along,” he said before he chickened out and said nothing at all.
