On the Wings of a Winter Heart (Miracle Express, #5)

by Rebecca Lovell

  “Go to the hotel to eat? With you?” Something came to her and she bit her lip. She’d been having a nice time with Franklin and she’d obviously let her guard down. “You’re not going to get me to sell my land by spending money on me.”

  “That’s not what I was thinking at all,” Franklin said, looking surprised. “It’s got nothing to do with work. I simply want to get to know you better.”

  Joy’s first instinct was to ask him what he really wanted but there was nothing malicious in Franklin’s face, and nothing that he was hiding as far as she could tell. As much as she enjoyed being with him, it seemed somehow unbelievable to her that he would ask her to eat with him out of the blue. She remembered something George had said before, though, about falling in love with her the moment she walked into the room. She’d never believed him but it had made her feel special, just as Franklin’s interest in her did now, and she made her decision.

  “Then I’ll be happy to go with you to eat. When would you like to go?” She tried to sound as casual as possible and Franklin smiled at her.

  “How about this evening?”

  “You’ll have to give me more warning than that,” Joy said indignantly and Franklin chuckled. “What on earth is so funny?”

  “I was just thinking that every woman I’ve ever known, Clara included, is the same about joining a friend for dinner. I think you look nice just the way you are but if you’d rather have some time to prepare, would tomorrow night be better?” When Joy didn’t answer, he went back to his pie. “I’ll let you pick the day, then.”

  “Tomorrow is fine,” Joy said quickly. She didn’t want to be difficult and have him change his mind. No matter why he’d come to town, Franklin was the first person who had seemed interested in her and she wanted to see if he truly liked her. “Shall I meet you here? I can leave Serenity here with Clara while we are out.”

  “That sounds like a fine idea,” Franklin said. He ate the last bite of his pie and drained his milk glass, then set aside his fork. “I really do need to be getting back to my office. What there is of it now, that is.”

  “Don’t let me keep you,” Joy said. She quickly ate the rest of her pie and washed it down with the milk that was so familiar to her. Then she stood up and brushed crumbs of her dress. “I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening.”

  “As will I,” Franklin said, taking her plate and glass to the kitchen. “I’ll follow you out.”

  After locking Clara’s door, Franklin walked with Joy as far as the street before parting ways with her. He tipped his hat to her and walked toward the center of town while she went back on her way to the farm, continuing to think about him. He really did seem like a good man, but she couldn’t help worrying that he was just trying to soften her up. Even if she did like him more, she promised herself for Serenity’s sake that she wouldn’t lose her head over him.

  I have to keep my land, she thought as she pulled on her gloves. No matter what, I have to keep what’s left of my land.

  Chapter Six

  “If you’re planning something that’s going to hurt Joy, you can take yourself right back to Chicago,” Clara said over his shoulder as Franklin buttoned his vest in the mirror.

  “I’m doing nothing of the sort,” he snapped. His stomach had dropped when she mentioned his former home, mostly because he hadn’t told her that he had been transferred to Santa Fe. They hadn’t corresponded in several years by the time he’d been sent there, in part because he’d been ashamed of it. His parents had protested his demotion but it hadn’t been the worst thing that could have happened. He could have been fired outright, and all because he’d tried to help a woman who was being harassed.

  “Good.” Her arms were folded over her chest and for a moment he thought she looked just like their mother. He’d never tell her that, though. She’d throw him out of the house for sure. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Why?” Franklin frowned as he turned to his sister. “Because I want to know more about her. If I’d met her under different circumstances, I probably would have asked her sooner.” He saw his sister’s face soften slightly and he smiled. “I’ve taken a liking to her, truth be told.”

  “You have?” Clara returned his smile. “So you’re going to stop trying to buy her land?”

  “That’s a bit more complicated.” Franklin sighed. “I don’t want to do this. Truth be told, I didn’t even want to be here. The railroad would do a lot of good for Mayfly, and now that I’m here I can see how many people it would help. The men I hired are excited about the idea, Clara. They want to work for the railroad so they have a steady income. The only thing stopping it is Mrs. Everly’s refusal to sell us the land.”

  “What happens if you go back and tell them you can’t do it?”

  “They’ll fire me and send someone else who won’t be as kind,” Franklin said. He took a deep breath. “I haven’t told you yet, but I didn’t come from Chicago. They dropped me in Santa Fe a couple of years ago as punishment.”

  “Punishment? For what?”

  Before Franklin could answer, there was a knock at the door and Clara left his room to answer it. He put on his jacket and pulled it smooth, then picked up his hat and put it on. He thought he looked nice but it was Joy’s opinion he really cared about. Out in the living room, he heard the door open and women’s voices speaking. With a smile, he went out to join them, a little nervous about what Joy would think of him.

  “Mr. York!” Serenity was the first to greet him with a smile and a wave, and he raised a hand to her. “I brought you a piece of candy!”

  “Did you, now?” Franklin went to the little girl and knelt down. Serenity nodded and took a piece of paper out of her pocket, then dropped it into his hand. Franklin unfolded it and found a piece of the red and green ribbon candy in the center. “My favorite. Thank you, little miss.”

  “You’re welcome,” Serenity giggled, then looked up at Clara. “Can I play with Lady?”

  “Of course you can. I think she’s in my room if you want to go find her.” With a yelp of delight, Serenity ran toward Clara’s room while her mother put a hand over her face.

  “I’m so sorry about her,” Joy said. “I don’t know where she’s learning to be this wild.” She was speaking to Franklin and he closed his hand around the candy as he stood up, smiling. “What was it that she gave you?”

  “A piece of candy. She gave me some of her ribbon candy when I was at your house and I told her I liked it. I suppose she thought she’d bring me more.” Franklin tucked the candy in his pocket, and he was pleased to see Joy beaming at him. “I haven’t been around many children, to be honest.”

  “She seems to like you,” Joy said. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Franklin said, joining her at the door and taking his coat from the rack. “I’ll let you lead the way.” While he buttoned his coat he tried to look her over without staring. He couldn’t see what she was wearing other than the skirt of her dress, which looked as if it was a deep purple. If he was right, her hat matched the color, and her blonde hair was pulled into an updo beneath it.

  “It’s cold outside,” Joy said. “I hope that coat is a thick one.”

  “It’s much warmer now that it’s dry,” Franklin replied with a grin. With a nod to Clara, he walked out the door and down the steps with Joy.

  The night was indeed cold but Joy didn’t seem to feel it, and Franklin tried to think of something to say as he walked beside her. He didn’t care that the streets of Mayfly were mostly dark and the town itself felt like it had given up. All he cared about was that Joy didn’t think he was a fool when he opened his mouth. He cleared his throat and turned to her.

  “Have you lived in Mayfly all your life?”

  “Yes,” Joy said with a nod. “George and I talked about going to Santa Fe once for a visit, but we never made it out there. Is it nice?”

  “It has its charms,” Franklin said. “Nothing on a big city, though. George was your husband?” T
he lights of the saloon were coming closer and it was easier to see Joy when she nodded.

  “He was. The land my house is on belonged to his father, and when he passed away it went to George. That’s the same way I got it.” They paused on the porch of the saloon and she looked up at him. “That land and Serenity are all I have left of him.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Everly.” Before Franklin could say more, Joy motioned to the saloon.

  “We should go inside where it’s warm,” she said quietly. At a loss for words now, Franklin nodded and followed her through the swinging doors.

  As he’d been told before, the saloon was busy. It wasn’t as lively as he expected, there was no music being played or raucous card games, but there were plenty of people at the bar with their drinks and when they passed through to the hotel he caught a few glances that were thrown in Joy’s direction. Whether it was because they weren’t used to seeing Joy in such nice clothes or because they didn’t approve of him keeping company with her he didn’t know, but either she didn’t notice or didn’t care.

  There was no one in the small restaurant area that was in the hotel, so they went into the lobby to get someone’s attention. Joy stood back slightly, and in the very short time he’d known her Franklin hadn’t known her to wait for a man to do something, but he supposed it was his responsibility since he was the one who had asked her to come with him. A small bell sat on the counter and he tapped it lightly to get the attention of a clerk. After a long moment, a woman came to the front desk and smiled at them.

  “Good evening,” she said. Her smile faltered as she looked from Franklin to Joy. “Good evening, Mrs. Everly. Would the two of you be wanting a room tonight?”

  “What?” It took a moment for Franklin to realize what she was saying and his eyes widened. “No, no, nothing like that! We only want to get something for dinner.”

  “Oh!” The woman looked slightly embarrassed. “I’m sorry for making an assumption like that, we just don’t see people from Mayfly in here very often. Please have a seat and I’ll check real quick and see what I can offer you.” She went into the back while Franklin turned to Joy. He wasn’t surprised to see that she was bright red.

  “I didn’t think she would expect that of me,” Joy said. “We should have just sat down in the saloon and waited for someone to come.”

  “Nothing to do about it now,” Franklin said with a shrug and they went into the adjacent room where a few tables and chairs were scattered. While there was no one else there, Franklin went around the room and picked out two of the nicest chairs for himself and Joy. “At least we have our pick of the furniture.” To his great relief, Joy laughed and he pulled out her chair. “Your seat, ma’am.”

  “Such a gentleman.” She took off her coat, revealing that her dress was indeed a dark purple and looked far finer than any he’d seen on a woman in Mayfly since what she’d worn the first night at Clara’s. By now she had regained her composure and sat down, then smiled at him. “It’ll probably be all over town tomorrow that you and I came to the hotel,” she sighed.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Franklin said. “I should have expected that. Chicago loves its rumors, and a small town is no different.”

  “I’ve been curious about that. You said you were from Chicago?” Joy looked at him curiously. “The card you gave me had an address in Santa Fe.”

  “Ah. Yes.” He hadn’t been expecting this question just yet but Joy was bright. He had a feeling that nothing escaped her notice. Thankfully, he was saved for the moment by the woman from the desk who appeared at their table. She still looked embarrassed so he pretended to ignore it in favor of a smile in her direction.

  “We weren’t expecting company,” she said, her tone apologetic. “I’m afraid all I have that I can serve you is some meatloaf with carrots and potatoes.”

  “That will be fine, Mary.” Joy’s tone was similar and Franklin felt like they had forgotten he was in the room. “I should have warned you earlier.”

  “I would love to try your meatloaf,” Franklin said, and both women looked at him. “I don’t often have it, so it’s always a special occasion when I do.”

  “Then I shall get you both a plate.” Mary still seemed a little off, but she went back into the area he assumed held the kitchen, leaving Franklin and Joy alone. He turned to her, hoping she had forgotten about the question she’d asked before Mary came.

  “So are you living in Chicago or Santa Fe?” Clearly she had not, and Franklin wondered whether this was the time to start explaining things to someone. Joy was clearly trustworthy and he felt at ease with her, but they hadn’t known one another all that long and he also didn’t want to burden her with his problems.

  “Santa Fe,” he said. It was a safe enough answer, and if she wanted details he could give her more later. “Our office is there.” A sigh escaped his lips. “Well, the New Mexico branch anyway. As I said, my office is going to be here.”

  “What sort of office will it be?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Something to do with the railroad, I’d assume.”

  “It’s going to be a real estate office.” Franklin hesitated. He hadn’t wanted to talk about work because he was afraid that it would ruin his time with Joy. There was a straight line from the office to buying her land and he had wanted to steer clear of that. Joy, however, had proven on more than one occasion that she was smart, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

  “What are you planning to do with a real estate office? You won’t be selling anything if the railroad doesn’t go through, so why are you setting it up already?” It was a fair question and one Franklin had considered himself.

  “I’ll be honest with you,” he said, lowering his voice. “They expect you to sell eventually. If I can’t get you to sell, they’ll pull me out of here and send someone else.” He decided to leave out the fact that he would be fired, not wanting to make Joy feel sorry for him.

  “Oh,” Joy said quietly. “I hadn’t considered that.”

  Mary came back with two plates in her hands and set them in front of her customers. The smell that came from the thick slices of meat was heavenly and he could have spent the rest of the night eating it and not talking about work, but that hope had been dashed.

  “Thank you,” Franklin said as she took knives and forks from an apron that she had put over her dress and put them by the plates. It was silent between him and Joy while Mary left and brought back some glasses of tea, and when she was gone Franklin picked up his fork. “Mrs. Everly, I really would rather we not talk about this. We can just enjoy our dinner.”

  “I’d like that.” Joy cut into her meatloaf and took a bite while Franklin watched her.

  The more he was with Joy, the more he was growing fond of her. Not only that, he liked Serenity. Her mother might have thought she was too wild, but both of their personalities were simply strong-willed. Joy’s was just a bit more refined.

  Franklin didn’t know how long he was going to be allowed to stay in Mayfly. He’d been sent there because he was Clara’s brother, his bosses hoping that he would be able to soften up the townspeople with his family ties. Even though she was his sister’s best friend, it hadn’t worked on Joy and none of them could foresee how her refusal would put the entire thing on hold. It was almost certain that if he was called back from Mayfly, he’d be fired by AT&SP. He could always stay in town and try to find work, but he had no idea how attached to him Joy was. Either way he wouldn’t be able to support her and Serenity. They were both backed into a corner, but Joy was coming out ready to fight.

  “How are you liking Mayfly?” Joy’s voice broke the silence and Franklin smiled at her, relieved.

  “It’s nice,” he replied. “Quiet. I haven’t met a single person here who wasn’t welcoming once they knew I wasn’t a bill collector.” Joy’s laughter at this broke through the tension and Franklin was able to relax and eat his dinner.

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.” Franklin speared a pota
to and carrot together. “Within reason, I should say.”

  “Is my land really worth five thousand dollars? Even though it can’t grow anything?” Her eyes were serious and Franklin shrugged, then nodded.

  “The railroad doesn’t need to grow anything in the land,” he said. “If you were selling it to someone in town or the bank, they’d probably give you less because of it but it doesn’t matter what the land’s like to a train.”

  “It’s as if the ground just gave up when George died. He was our farm’s lucky charm and everything passed with him.” Joy’s eyes flicked away from his face. “Selling my home is something I can’t take back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. I don’t want Serenity to think that I gave up.”

  “I hadn’t intended on talking with you about this tonight,” Franklin said. “I could give you a hundred reasons to sell to the AT&SF but you’re the only one who can decide whether or not it’s right for you. There’s just one thing I want to say; if you sell to the railroad you’ll get the full amount for your land and house no matter what. Otherwise you’ll have to take your chances with the bank or someone who’ll just sell it to the railroad anyway and get your money.”

  “Yes, I had considered that.” Joy pushed her food around her plate, then sighed. “You’re right, we shouldn’t talk about this. You should tell me more about Chicago. I’ve never been somewhere as big as all that. What’s it like up there, besides cold?”

  “It’s not cold all the time,” laughed Franklin, glad to move away from the difficult questions. “There is quite a bit more chill in the winter, but when the ponds freeze over you’re able to skate on them. Clara used to be quite good at it.”

  “Clara?” It was Joy’s turn to laugh. “I can hardly imagine her as a girl, much less skating on ice. What were you like as a boy, Mr. York?”

  “Quiet,” he said. “I liked to read, and I tried my hand at art.”

  “Art? Were you good at it?”

  “Not in the least. I made a few drawings that weren’t terrible but the majority of them went straight into the trash can. How about you? Do you have any hobbies?” Franklin took a sip of the tea. It was surprisingly cold, and he assumed it was kept in the icebox.