Thomas Brown was in the booth and he gave Cole a little wave. The town was so small that the people filled multiple roles to keep it going.
“Cole,” Thomas said coming out of the booth. “Are you picking up someone?”
“You could say that,” Cole said bouncing on his feet. He knew Thomas already knew, as he was part of Minnie’s inner council to marry off all the eligible men in Nomad. Thomas just grinned at him and held out his hand and Cole gave it a shake.
“Congratulations,” he said.
“Let’s see what happens when she arrives.”
The stagecoach pulled in. The horses were lathered from the hard ride.
“Are you staying the night?” Thomas asked the stagecoach driver.
“Yeah. The horses need to rest, and it looks like there is going to be a good snowfall. Might be my last trip until Spring.”
The man riding shotgun scrambled onto the roof of the coach and started untying the luggage.
“Looks like you have quite a bit there,” Thomas remarked, taking one of the bags and placing it on the platform. “Was the ride uneventful?”
The man moving the luggage popped his head over the side. “It was uneventful until the wolves started running after the coach. Nearly lost one of the horses.”
“Wolves?” Cole asked. “Did you see where they went?”
“Well two of them are up here.” The man lifted a tail in the air. “The rest looked like they were headed up the mountain.”
“Oskar mentioned that he had seen them last week.”
“Probably hunting for winter. I know we had seen them in the spring, but they disappeared over the summer. Probably to raise their pups.” Cole looked back at the man on top of the stagecoach. “How big was the pack?”
The man handed down another bag. “Looked to be a good eight or nine. Didn’t see many young ones in the group.”
“Did you happen to figure out who was the Alpha?”
The man nodded. “A big silver wolf with a black streak on the top of his head.”
Thomas looked at Cole. “What are you thinking?”
“I just want to make sure that they don’t come too close to town.”
Cole nearly forgot about his bride, with all the talk of the wolf pack. He noticed people were starting to mingle onto the platform. There was a young woman who appeared to be traveling with her parents that loitered on the side of the platform. A man traveling alone picked up his bag and started walking to town. There were two other passengers on the far end of the platform.
“Can you help me with this?” The driver asked. “We had a heckuva time getting it up here.” He pushed a large trunk to the edge of the roof and tipped it over.
Thomas grunted as he grabbed the trunk to lower it to the ground. Cole grabbed the other side. It wasn’t a large trunk, but it was heavy. “Not too bad, is it?” Thomas asked.
“There are three more.”
Cole groaned. That was a lot of luggage for someone to bring with them. Hopefully one belonged to Meg.
When the trunks were down on the ground Cole looked around the platform. The two ladies who were on the far side of the platform were now just one. That must be his new bride.
Cole walked over to her. He couldn’t see her face very well as she had on a bonnet with a stiff brim that was covering her features. She held a carpetbag and was looking towards the town.
The nerves started building – almost as if he had a bit of a tummy ache. He wondered if it was too late to back out now. He walked over to the woman standing alone.
“Meg?” he said loudly. Her head turned to him; her face shrouded in the shadow from the bonnet she wore. He still couldn’t see her face, but when she turned towards him, hope rose in his heart that she was the one. He took another step towards her. “I’m so glad you came; I was worried you weren’t going to arrive.” His voice sounded more confident than how he was feeling.
The woman turned to fully face him, her head lifting slightly so he could finally see her. He stepped back a bit. Looking from beneath the bonnet was someone who most definitely was not near thirty. In fact, she appeared to be twice that many years. Her eyes crinkled, causing the wrinkles in her face to appear deeper. She had deep grooves in her cheeks and her eyes held a twinkle.
“I don’t think I’m who you are looking for, dearie,” the woman said, placing a gloved hand on his arm. “Although I wish I was younger. You are a mighty handsome man.”
“Meggie!” A voice called, running towards the stage. He was waving his hat as he approached.
“That’s my brother. I hope you find who you are looking for.” She gave Cole a pat on the arm and headed towards the man coming from town.
Cole stood there, dumbfounded and slightly embarrassed. His eyes glanced around the platform once more. As he turned to go talk to the stagecoach driver, the young woman with the two elderly companions approached him.
“You are looking for someone named Meg?”
“Yes. Was she on the stagecoach?”
The woman nodded. She was wearing a bonnet that also hid her eyes. “Yes. I’m Margaret Dasher. Are you Cole Tucker?”
Cole shoved his hands in his back pockets. “Yes ma’am, I am.”
“It is nice to meet you. It was a long journey. Much longer than we thought it would be.”
“We?”
“Didn’t Mrs. Grant tell you? These are Agnes and Roscoe Hall. They worked for my parents. They didn’t have anywhere to go, so they came with me.”
Cole shifted on the balls of his feet. He glanced towards the mercantile. Jack was leaning over the railing on the porch. He gave a wave, his arm moving wildly in the air. He looked back at Meg. “Must have slipped her mind. Like a lot of things,” he said under his breath.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing. Let’s get your things and we can get going.”
“Mr. Tucker,” she called as Cole moved towards the luggage pile.
“Please call me Cole. Are these yours?” he said pointing to the trunks. She nodded. “Of course, they are,” he mumbled.
“Mr. Tucker. Is there a hotel in town?”
Cole paused. “A hotel?”
“Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Hall need a place to stay.”
“There is a boarding house in town, but she only has three rooms and they are full. So no, there isn’t a hotel.” Cole looked over at the two strangers. The man was wearing a coat that was much too thin. His thin shoulders were shaking. The man coughed. A deep rattle came from within his chest. The woman with him tugged a blanket around his shoulders and patted him on the back. Cole could see that she cared for him deeply. “Is he ill?”
“He caught a cold the first day on the train and it has progressively gotten worse. The train car was rather chilly and being on the stage with the cold wind made it worse. I think he just needs to be tended to a bit.”
“Let’s get him to Minnie’s,” Cole said. “Thomas, I’ll be back for these trunks. Can we move them to the side?”
“I’ll get those moved for you.”
Cole nodded and walked over to Agnes and Roscoe. “Mr. and Mrs. Hall, welcome to Nomad. Let’s get you somewhere to warm up.”
“Thank you, Mr. Tucker,” Agnes said. Roscoe nodded. His breathing too labored to do anything else.
He held his hand out to Meg. She placed her hand underneath his arm as he took her bag. When she looked up at him, he could finally see underneath her bonnet. His breath nearly stopped. The picture didn’t do her justice.
Even though she was older, she was still exquisite. He couldn’t understand why she had been a spinster for so long. She looked tired, but that was expected after a long trip. She smiled at him and Cole gave her hand a quick squeeze.
“Where are the children?” she asked.
It warmed Cole’s heart that she asked about them first. “They are with Minnie. I must say they are excited to meet you.”
“I am excited to meet them.” Cole saw her glance back to Agnes and Roscoe.
>
“I apologize for there being more than you planned. They are as close to me as my own parents were.”
“We will figure it out,” he replied softly.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do if there isn’t a place for them to stay.”
Cole stopped and turned to look at her. “I said we will figure it out. This is just a hiccup and how we handle it will tell us a lot about how our marriage will go.”
He saw her mouth drop open a little. If they were alone and the brim of that hat wasn’t blocking him, he might be tempted to put a kiss on her lips to reassure her. She would be his wife soon. Instead, he gave her a smile and started walking towards the store.
He heard Roscoe cough again and Cole looked over his shoulder.
He told Meg that he would figure it out. He turned and looked at her smiling face. He just didn’t have any idea how he was going to keep his word.
Chapter 8
“What are you going to do?” Minnie asked.
The doctor was examining Roscoe in the Grant’s sitting room. Agnes was with her husband and Meg was sitting at the table entertaining the children. Frank and Jack were hanging onto her every word, as she bounced Luella on her knee.
Cole looked at Meg. She was everything Minnie described. She was beautiful, intelligent and appeared to have the patience of a saint with the millions of questions the children were asking her. Mostly their questions were about the train ride and the horses who pulled the stagecoach.
She lifted her eyes and caught Cole staring at her. She had the prettiest eyes, surrounded by long lashes. She looked down demurely. Jack said something to her, and she laughed.
“I don’t know, Minnie. I was expecting one person. Not three.”
“Well, there is nowhere in town for them.”
“I know. They are her family. I can’t just leave them here.”
“Her plan was to get them situated in a hotel and then build a house for them.” Minnie rubbed her hands against her apron. “It doesn’t sound like she planned on them going home with you.”
“I know.” Cole ran his hand down his face. “I’m sorry to bring this to your door, Minnie.”
“You act as though we’ve never had guests before,” Oskar said, coming up behind them. “It will work out.”
“The driver said that wolves tried to attack the horses on the drive into town.”
“They are getting more aggressive. I pray they don’t come into town.”
“Me too. Might want to tell everyone to be extra careful and not go out alone or after dark.”
The doctor came into the room. Meg stood at the table, Luella on her hip. She looked like she had been holding Luella since she was born.
“Is he going to be alright?” Meg asked.
The doctor placed his bag on the table. “I didn’t hear anything in his lungs, but the cough may get worse before it gets better. We just have to make sure that it doesn’t turn into pneumonia.”
“What do we need to do?” Cole asked.
“He’s going to need plenty of rest and to keep as warm as possible. He probably won’t have much of an appetite, but you want to keep his strength up.” The doctor pulled a tin from his bag. “This is willow bark. It should help contain the fever.” He put the tin down and pulled a glass bottle from the bag. “This is laudanum. Give him a draft in the morning and one again in the evening. It should ease his chest. If he gets worse, just come get me.”
Cole noticed Meg’s brow furrowed. “How long will it take for him to recover?”
“He should be better within two weeks.”
“Doc,” Cole said stepping forward. “The snows are coming and pretty soon we won’t be able to get down to town anymore. Do you think it would be safe to transport him?”
“To the mountain?” Cole nodded. “Well, he’s traveled this far. I would bundle him with extra blankets and bricks. When you get home, you might need to give him a bath to warm him up.”
“Where are you taking him?” Meg asked.
“He is going home with us.”
“But Pa!” Frank said. “We don’t have enough room.”
“We’ll figure it out, son.” He looked at Oskar. “I am going to need to get some more supplies. I can hunt for meat, but I don’t have enough of the basics.”
“Let’s go and figure out what you need,” Oskar said, heading down the steps to the mercantile.
“Minnie, I apologize, but we are going to need to get home sooner than expected. It looks like the weather is going to get worse before it gets better and we need to be at the cabin.”
“I understand,” Minnie said. “I’ll get the children fed and pack up supper for you. You can eat when you get home.”
“I appreciate that.” He gave Minnie a kiss on the cheek. He looked at Meg. “I’ll be right back and then I think we have some business to attend to.”
Meg swallowed as she watched Cole’s back retreat from the room. He was more handsome than she ever dared imagine.
He had deep brown hair that reminded Meg of coffee. His chin was covered with whiskers in the same deep color. She wondered if they were soft or rough. When he looked at her, she noticed his brown eyes were deep, as if they were hiding secrets.
She appreciated him not turning her away when she arrived in town with the extra company. She didn’t realize just how small of a town Nomad was. She only saw about four business buildings, plus several houses.
Meg wondered what folks did to make a living in such a remote region. She would have to ask Cole about it on the way home.
Luella gurgled and grabbed for the cameo at Meg’s throat. “Mine,” the toddler said. Meg held the little girl’s hands together and bounced her some more on her knee.
Cole’s children were just precious. Frank was the more boisterous of the two boys. Jack listened and watched everything. Meg bet he could tell some stories. And Luella… well, she was just cherubic. Meg never wanted to let her go.
“So, are you going to be our Ma now?” Jack asked.
“I believe so.” She didn’t want to say that she was frightened all the way to her toes that Cole might send them back home. Or worse yet, abandon them in town.
“Whatever you are thinking,” Minnie said, placing plates in front of Frank and Jack, “just stop it. He’s a good man.”
Meg blushed. She could tell why everyone in town was fond of Minnie. She was like a surrogate mother.
“Have you ever been a Ma before?” Frank asked between bites of ham.
Meg’s heart tightened at the child’s simple question. “No. I never have. But I want to be the best Ma ever.”
“We can help you,” Frank offered.
“You can?”
Jack nodded; his mouth too full to respond.
“I can tell you all about it.”
Meg laughed and planted a kiss on top of Luella’s head. “I would like to hear about that.”
“A good ma won’t make us take baths.”
“She won’t?” Meg took a bowl from Minnie and put it on the table. Inside was ham cut up in small pieces and boiled root vegetables. There was even a piece of bread and butter tucked into the side.
Meg held the bread while Luella chewed on it.
“And she bakes cookies every day,” Jack instructed before putting another bite in his mouth.
“Every day?” Meg asked, laughing at the innocent game the boys were playing. The boys nodded.
Minnie returned and slid a plate in front of Meg before taking a chair at the table. She picked up her napkin and put it in her lap. “Boys, did you say the blessing before you started?”
Frank stopped a forkful of potatoes as he was lifting it to his mouth. Jack stopped chewing. Minnie gave them a look that reminded Meg of her own mother.
Minnie clasped her hands and bowed her head. Meg did the same. She peeked at the boys. Frank put his fork down with a clatter and she saw Jack swallow whatever was in his mouth. They clasped their hands together as Minnie said a blessing ove
r the food. Luella mimicked the movements.
“Amen,” Meg said softly when Minnie was finished.
“I gave a plate to Agnes. She is still sitting with her husband. He didn’t want anything, but when you get home, I’d make him something soft. Like oats.” Minnie said.
“Thank you for taking us in tonight. I honestly thought my letter would get here in time.”
Minnie gave her a wink. “It did.”
Meg gasped. “You didn’t tell him?”
“Why would I? There wasn’t anything to be done about it. You had left. You are here. It is done.”
“He might have been more prepared.”
“The poor man has enough on his plate without having to worry about that. He’ll deal with it and things will work out.”
“But I don’t want to start a marriage based on dishonesty.”
“Then you’ll just have to tell him, won’t you?” Minnie said. “Quickly eat, because we will need to get you married, packed and on your way home. The preacher will be here shortly.”
Meg quickly ate, not tasting anything. She was so hungry from the trip she simply shoveled it into her mouth.
When they were done, Minnie picked up the dishes. Meg looked at the boys.
“Why don’t you help Minnie clear the table and then come back and watch Luella for me so I can wash the dishes.”
Frank looked at Minnie. “Did you bake brownies for dessert?”
“You get something better tonight. You get cake instead.”
“Oh boy,” Frank said, grabbing the utensils and running to the kitchen.
“You don’t have to do the dishes, Meg. I’ll do them after you leave.”
“I don’t want to leave you with a mess.”
“I have nothing else to do. It will help me pass the night.”
“I should find Cole and find out what he needs me to do.” She placed Luella on the ground and the toddler walked on chubby legs towards the kitchen. She plopped down on her diaper and reached for something on the floor.
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