“I can trust you to stay away from Justin, can’t I?”
“Yes, sir. But I love him, Father. Someday, you and Mother are going to have to come to grips with the truth. I am going to marry Justin Wellesley.”
“That might be, but if you want our blessing, you better not have your heart set on Justin. You’re young. Give yourself time to grow up and maybe you’ll find another young man that steals your heart. Maybe the new attorney in town.” He cleared his throat. “Even Yancy. I hear Reed is working with him.”
“Yancy is wilder than a tornado. I can’t believe you and Mother would even suggest him. He spent more time in the saloons than working. Reed might be able to straighten him out, but he is not a man I can love.”
Her father’s face turned red, and she recognized that the conversation had better end.
“I won’t run off and elope with Justin if that is what you are worried about, but I can no longer promise to stop seeing him. I would be dishonest with myself as well as with you. I love you and Mother with all my heart, but I love Justin, too. Don’t make me choose.” Amelia, startled by her courage, kept her head up and matched his stare.
He gave her a grim smile. “You are my daughter. Your mother and I love you, perhaps too much. Give us some time to pray and get used to the idea. And promise me you’ll pray and visit with Pastor Jim.”
She nodded. Her tears were too close to falling and making a mess of her courage. “I promise. Perhaps I’ll go to the church and see the pastor now. I feel I need a break from the store and Mother needs one from me.”
“I think that would be a good idea. I’ll take care of your mother. You take care of your heart and soul.”
She kissed her father on the cheek and left, her shoulders a little less burdened. Yes, it would be good to pray. She’d let that part of her life slip. Wrapping her shawl around herself, she opened the door. Cold air surprised her even though the blue sky held no promise of storms. She left the store and walked up the hill. Almost to the church steps, she heard her name called.
“Yoo hoo, Amelia, dear. Could you come over?” Tilly McGruder, her silver hair flowing, waved her over to their house.
Amelia smiled. The McGruder sisters were always a delight. However, they probably forgot something at the store and wanted to ask her to order it for them. “Yes, what can I do for you?”
“Oh, we have a surprise for the sheriff. Since you and Justin are so in love, we thought you should see what we’ve done.” Tilly excitedly waved her over to the barn.
Sully held the barn door open a crack. “Sister and I worked very hard on the project. You know the weather is turning cold, so we wanted to surprise Justin. It’s for Christmas so don’t tell him, but we were too excited to keep it a secret just between us.”
“I won’t tell. I’m sure Justin will love it. He thinks the world of you two.”
Sully clapped. “Hear that Tilly, Justin thinks the world of us. Come in dear and let us know what you think.”
Amelia walked into the barn. Her eyes widened. “Oh, well it’s very pretty.”
“We thought how nice it would be that he and his horse would have matching scarves. Peach colored of course. That way when he is out chasing bandits, he and.” She paused and scratched her head. “Sister, what is his horse’s name?”
Tilly stared at her. “I don’t know. Amelia, do you know?”
Amelia suppressed her desire to giggle. “His horse is named Red. I know, not very imaginative.” She walked over to the big bay and put her hands on his once noble head. Although, with a peach scarf wrapped around his neck, he’d lost some of his gallantness. “I would have named him Gallant or Noble.”
“Yes, yes. I agree. Don’t you Tilly?”
Tilly nodded. “I do think the color brings out his deep red. So perhaps Red suits him best.”
“How did you ladies get him here?”
“Oh, it’s a secret. Well, Ebenezer brought him to us. You know he and his wife live with us now since poor Judge Wallace died and lost his ranch. We made Ebenezer promise to sneak the horse from the livery and then take him back tonight. We had to make sure the scarf would fit Red and not clash with his color.”
Swallowing a chuckle, Amelia nodded. “Would you like me to take him back to the livery for you?” She hated to admit it, but she was hoping for a secret meeting with Justin.
“Would you? Ebenezer isn’t getting any younger and his knees are hurting. Said there might be snow in the air, and my own arm is saying the same thing.” Tilly massaged her elbow.
Amelia took the scarf from Red and led him to the door. “I won’t tell a soul what you were doing with him.” Not as if there was a soul in Bluebonnet who would believe her if she did tell anyone.
“Thank you, child. Have you and Justin set a date for the wedding yet? Christmas would make a beautiful wedding day, don’t you agree, Sully?”
“Yes, Sister, and we would supply all the peach brandy.”
Amelia wilted under the question. How she wished it could happen that soon. “I’ll be the first to tell you.” She left before she started crying. It was going to take a miracle for her parents to agree to a wedding so soon. Tomorrow, she’d ask Pastor Jim to pray for one.
Taking the back way, she led Red to the livery, hoping no one other than Justin saw or stopped her. The scene of the big horse with his own scarf still reduced her to laughter.
She loved the McGruder sisters. They might be a little odd, but they always thought of others and brought joy to whomever they encountered.
Finally, she reached Saloon Street. The livery loomed in front of her, but miraculously, no one was around. Ben must have been asleep in his office. She slipped Red back into his stall and left unnoticed. Leaving the barn, she sent a quick glance down Saloon Street and wondered about the women that worked at the Cattlemen’s.
Her thoughts drifted to Sally. Poor woman, she’d worked there and been beaten almost to death. Nettie had helped her and because of Mya, Sally had a place to live. How would she ever be able to find a good man to marry her? Even in the store, she’d heard men make hurtful remarks concerning Sally. How odd that Wills talked as if he’d considered asking Sally to be his wife.
She’d ask Pastor Jim to pray for Sally, too. Amelia had never seen her in church, but Pastor Jim would pray for her, she knew it.
Walking back to the store, she noticed clouds. The sisters could be right. Snow didn’t come often to Bluebonnet, but when it did, she loved the purity of the white flakes.
Sorry that she hadn’t made it to church to talk to the pastor, she gazed into the heavens. “God, please help my parents see how much I love Justin. And please help Sally find a good man to marry. Amen.”
Chapter 11
Sally nervously sat in Mya’s den waiting for Wills to come for her. She’d never been courted by a man before and wasn’t sure how to act.
Wiping her hands on her apron, Mya came in from the kitchen. “Now remember, if he doesn’t treat you right, you get up and go to Mr. Cox at the hotel and he will see that you are brought safely back here. Although I don’t think you need to worry. Mr. Williams does seem like a very nice gentleman.”
“Yes, ma’am.” What if Wills wasn’t a gentleman? What if he was going to try and get her to his hotel room?
“Dear, are you all right?” Mya fussed over her, fluffing the collar to her dress. “You look lovely. The light blue makes your hair shine and your eyes sparkle.”
How could Sally explain that she didn’t want to look nice? She didn’t want him to notice her.
A knock on the door lit her nerves on fire.
Mya smiled. “He’s here.” She went to the door and opened it. “Mr. Williams, she is ready.”
Sally cringed at Mya’s choice of words. Harold had said the same thing when he first introduced her to a customer. She rose and walked to the door, feeling as if she were going to her execution.
He stood with hat in hand, looking at her as if he were studying her.
“Hello
Wills.”
He grinned. “You look nice. I hope you’re hungry. The hotel serves a wonderful steak dinner. Not that you don’t, Mrs. Garner.”
Mya chuckled. “You don’t have to worry about me, young man. I know I’m the best cook in Bluebonnet if not all of Texas.” She laughed and returned to her kitchen.
Wills held out his arm. “I rented a buggy. The weather has turned cold.”
Hesitantly, Sally put her hand in the crook of his arm. He was well muscled, which surprised her. She’d not thought a man whose work involved books would be so strong. They stepped outside, and she shivered. He’d been most thoughtful to rent the buggy.
“There’s a blanket on the seat.” He helped her into the carriage.
She pulled out the blanket and set it on her lap while trying to calm her racing heart. Not sure if it was from fear, or the hope of having a way out of the mess that had become her life.
He climbed in and tapped the horse. “I want to treat you in style, Sally. You deserve to be treated like a lady.”
She put a hand on his. “Stop the buggy.” No matter what his intentions were, she owed it to him to make sure he knew what she’d been.
He pulled the horse to a stop on the corner of Saloon Street. Concern edged his eyes. “What is it?”
“You need to get something straight. I am not a lady, and I definitely do not deserve to be treated like one. I lost that right in that saloon over there. You need to face that fact. And when we walk into that diner, you need to be prepared to have men snicker behind your back if not to your face. Are you ready for that?”
Taken aback, he nodded. “I figured that might happen, but I want this town to see you as a lady. As the woman I’m going to marry.”
“Wills, I don’t know what more I can say to you. You have to be one of the most stubborn men I’ve ever known.”
“Did you read my letters again?”
“Yes, I read and reread them. I prayed they could be true, but I don’t understand why you want to marry me. If it’s from pride that you already told Nettie you would marry me, I release you from it. You don’t have to.”
He tucked a curl behind her ear. “No, I don’t have to marry you, but I want to. My mind’s set. Soon, you’ll want to marry me, too.”
She already did, but not for the right reasons. She didn’t think he’d take it very kindly if she told him she’d marry him only so that she wouldn’t starve or have to go back to the saloon.
With a sad, but kind look, he patted her hand. “You let me worry about things.” He tapped the horse and continued to the hotel. He helped her from the buggy and walked her into the dining room.
Sally stayed close to him, wincing at each gasp and snicker, feeling each finger pointed her way.
Wills kept his eyes on her, ignoring the remarks. He seated her at a table that, of all things, was in the center of the room.
“Would you like me to order for you?”
Sally nodded, although not sure she could eat a bite. She was so afraid of how the other patrons would react to her presence. She kept her eyes on Wills.
The waiter came over. She heard him huff under his breath. For an awkward moment, he waited, and then asked Wills for his order.
Wills pulled a length of rope from his jacket and glared at the waiter. “I hope you weren’t sneering at Miss Jones?”
He shook his head. “Wasn’t what we called her at the Cattlemen’s.” He chuckled in a mocking way, until Wills swung the rope at him, hitting him square in the nose and leaving a welt.
“Excuse me, I thought you were laughing at the beautiful woman I have with me. I was mistaken, wasn’t I?”
Holding his bleeding nose, the waiter nodded, and then respectfully took their order.
Murmurs made their way around the diner. Eventually the waiter came and slapped her plate in front of her.
Sally kept her eyes focused on the table, nibbling at the food.
Wills touched her hand. “Ever seen this little rope trick?”
She raised her eyes to watch him.
“Not even a little smile?” He winked at her and pulled a longer rope from his other pocket. “Watch this.”
He whirled it like a cowboy getting ready to lasso a steer. Then he let it fly and roped her hand. He pulled her hand toward him, and then he took it and freed it from the rope. “There you go, thought I saw a little smile. See, I’m not so bad. We can have a good time together for the rest of our lives.”
She almost believed him, but the question that plagued her would always come back to her. Why would he want to marry a prostitute? It made no sense.
After pulling her hand from his, she shook her head. “Wills, this is all too good to be true, so I keep asking myself why, and I can’t come up with a good answer.”
“Can’t you just accept the fact that I want to marry you?”
“No.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “For whatever reason you think you need to marry me, I’m telling you that you don’t. I don’t want you to. I’m ready to go home, now.”
He nodded. “I still want to court you.”
She stared at him. “No. Not until you can tell me why you answered Nettie’s ad.”
A flicker of hurt passed over his eyes. With a grim nod, he stood. “Let’s go.” He helped her from her chair and walked her to the buggy.
Even though he treated her with gentleness, she sensed that she’d finally pushed him away. She’d lost him. Lost the chance to be decent, have a place to live, and a good man to marry her. Sitting as far from him as possible, she gazed at the darkening clouds, hoping he’d not see her tears.
When they pulled in front of Mya’s, Sally didn’t wait for him to help her but bolted from the buggy.
“Sally, wait.”
She turned to see Wills through a blur of tears, shook her head, and ran up the stairs fearing he would follow her, dreading that he wouldn’t. At the door, she stopped and looked back.
He stood at the foot of the stairs, staring at her. “Sally?”
She shook her head, entered Mya’s, and ran to her room. Leaning against her door, she shuddered at what she’d done. He’d forget about her now. He was free, while she was still imprisoned by her past.
###
Wills stood helplessly by the horse and watched her disappear into the boarding house. He’d failed. Yet, he couldn’t tell her. He only wanted to help Sally, to care for her and provide a good life for her. He owed her that much. Owed Carly that much. He had to pay for what he’d done.
He drove the buggy back to the livery and tried to reason with himself. She said she’d freed him from whatever reason he had to want to marry her. The heaviness in his heart told him otherwise.
Maybe he had started with the wrong motive, but now, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Her soft hair. The way her eyes had taken on the soft blue color of the dress she was wearing. The sweet smell of her.
He did care for her, but the reason he answered Nettie’s ad stood between them. Once it had brought them together. Now, it haunted him. He went to his room in the hotel and practiced his rope tricks.
How was he going to make it right? He couldn’t tell Sally. She was so fragile. What had he been thinking? So bent on paying for his crime, he hadn’t cared how others would feel. Selfish. Wild. Isn’t that how he’d gotten himself in this mess in the first place?
He stared out the window and saw the steeple catch the dying glow of the day. It had been some time since he’d been to church. Perhaps he’d find his answers there. Sick of the guilt that plagued him, he slumped onto his bed and tried to see past the troubles he’d caused others.
There just didn’t seem to be way out. Even with the windows closed, he could hear the tinny music of the piano coming from The Cattlemen’s Saloon. The lewd laughter of men making light of what they should hold dear.
Sally had been in that place. Worked in that place. Could he really marry her, knowing she’d been with countless men? For the first time since arriving in B
luebonnet, he doubted it. He’d only fooled himself. She’d seen right through him.
Tomorrow, he’d ride to the church, and then he’d tell Nettie that he couldn’t go through with the marriage. If she wanted, he’d leave Bluebonnet. Give Sally the building he’d bought. That should be enough of an atonement.
He closed his eyes but saw Sally’s image. So vulnerable and damaged. He heard her sweet but timid voice. Slamming his fist against the bed, Wills sat up. She had more integrity than he did. She knew there had to be a reason.
He rose and went to the window. Thin clouds covered the rising moon, dimming its light. He stared at the bleak scene before him feeling as lifeless as the bare limbs stretching against the sky as if they mirrored his soul.
Sally needed a good man. He wasn’t good. God help him, he wasn’t.
After a fitful night, Wills awoke, disentangled himself from the sheets, and threw off the blanket. Cold, driven by a moaning wind, seeped through the walls. He’d made up his mind. He’d see the preacher today and then ride to Nettie’s. It had to be done and the sooner the better. He didn’t want to hurt Sally any more than he already had.
He dressed, went down, and picked at his breakfast. The roiling in his stomach held little room for food. Heart hammering, he went to the livery, got his horse, and rode toward the church.
Like a man going to the gallows, he rode up the street. Numb and on fire. Feeling nothing and yet everything. Clearing his mind only to be blasted with memories. Wills felt as if he were riding through the valley of the shadow of death.
Where was God? In the church he was headed for? He hoped so. And yet, he didn’t. Fear had him trembling at what a Holy God would do to him. Riding to the steps, he shuddered. The morning was still, while dark, gray clouds warned of trouble. He tied the horse, walked up the steps, and knocked.
The door opened to a short gentleman with a balding head. “Can I help you?”
Taking off his hat, Wills shifted on his feet, dropping his gaze. “You the preacher?”
“Yes, come in.” He held the door open wide and beckoned him in. “It’s cold, would you like some coffee?”
A Bluebonnet Misfit Christmas: Sweet Historical Christian Western Romance (Mail Order Brides of Misfit Ranch Bluebonnet, Texas Book 2) Page 9
