by Linda Ellen
Somehow, deep in her heart, Pauline knew it was him. Her husband. Tobias Keller. Tobias Alexander Keller, as she had heard the judge and Mr. Fetterman repeat. She’d liked his name. And sneaking glimpses of him, she liked his looks, too. Even before they had been properly introduced, she had felt a connection of some kind with him and somehow knew he was the man she had married by proxy back in Louisville. And…dare she allow the thought to germinate…she felt deep down that this man would forever be important in her life.
Although she had never before been attracted to red-haired men, she found this man’s looks quite appealing. Under a black Stetson hat adorned with a shiny, silver band, his hair was a dark auburn, and he wore a beard and mustache of the same hue, clean and neatly trimmed. With a quick look, she took note that he wore a cream shirt, black string tie, suede vest—with a shiny deputy’s badge pinned on one side—dark pants, boots, and a gun belt with a silver buckle. At another glance, she noticed the pearl handle of his revolver glinting in the sun, and a tiny thrill shot through her insides. Her husband was a deputy sheriff and probably a good shot with that gun. Somehow, that thought comforted her…made her feel safe.
And then, the crowd parted and the burly man named Sam escorted her to him for an introduction.
Heavens to Betsy! Tobias has the most vivid, cornflower blue eyes I’ve ever encountered…and his smile…oh my Lord, heart-melting. Everything about him seemed to draw her like a magnet. The look in those eyes said he was approving of what he saw in her as well. How did she get so lucky as to find herself married to such a man? He was as different from Harold Barrow as night was to day.
Then, Tobias was handing her his flowers and his voice when he spoke sent a shiver of pleasure rushing through her veins. Deep and smooth.
Oh, I’m in trouble, Mama. I can see right now I’m going to have a hard time saying goodbye to this man I married. Heaven help me if I can’t get him to feel the same!
Stepping down out of the carriage, Pauline looked up, obviously impressed at the facade of the enchanting Larson’s Boarding House, a large Queen Anne style home. Toby had also found it quite pleasing, painted as it was in an attractive combination of terra-cotta red, white, and sky blue. Once inside, the interior did not disappoint—the handsome foyer decorated in white wallpaper with spritely green leaves was complemented by attractive, warmed-hued woodwork and clean, carpeted stairs that led to the second floor.
“And this will be your room,” Iris Larson said to Pauline as they stopped in front of one of the doors in the upper hall.
The welcoming committee had monopolized the girl from the first moment she’d stepped off the train. The Maynard wives had persuaded Sam to run home and collect his large carriage, and together with the Larsons, had taken Pauline on a ride down all of Brownville’s streets, pointing out various sites of interest, the new section of Main Street known as the Brick Block, as well as the three schools and various churches. They took her past the Nebraska Advertiser’s building as well as down to the stone wharf to see the Belle of Brownville, the steam ferry that served the Brownville crossing.
Still they ventured on, taking her to view the Bailey House, which had been built near the river but after suffering a flood six years prior, had been taken apart and moved to a new location on Main Street. This was a feat at which the locals still marveled. After this, the young woman had politely admitted fatigue and begged to continue the tour on another day. Her tour guides were justly chastised and Sam hastily brought her to the Larson House to allow her to settle in and relax after her wearisome journey.
Riding on a borrowed horse, Toby had followed along with the tour, and now was forced to stand back as the well-intentioned townspeople continued to cater to his new bride. Sam Maynard insisted on carrying her bags. John Larson and his daughter regaled her with stories about famous people that had stayed in their house. Charise and Beth Ann hovered near, offering to help with anything that Pauline might need.
No one had seen fit to give him a chance to say anything to his new wife other than, “How ‘do.” He was, however, secretly thrilled that she would be staying in the same boarding house with him. Matter of fact…Iris had put her in the room directly adjacent to his. That was sure to give him the opportunity, once the newness of her arrival had worn off, to get to know her and hopefully spend time with her.
Truth be told, he still couldn’t believe this was happening. He was married—legally—to one of the most beautiful girls he’d ever seen. At least in his estimation she was. Her eyes were a striking chestnut brown, her lips full and pink, her smile a twinkle of heaven. Her laughter was like musical notes in his ears. Matter of fact, he was getting a bit worried about himself. He sure didn’t want to fall off the deep end for this girl, only to have her hightail it back to Louisville at the first whistle from her family.
However, he couldn’t seem to help himself. He’d never been so affected by a female before—and in Champaign, he’d known plenty. Sure, he’d been out and about with quite a few young ladies, all of them with matrimony on their minds and a calculating glint in their eyes. Mamas had introduced their daughters to him, daughters who batted their eyelashes and hoped to secure his attention. But he’d never felt one iota of attraction for any of them.
And then bam. He meets Pauline.
As he watched her smile and answer a comment made by Iris, Toby stifled a moan, silently praying, Lord, I’ve got a feeling this girl could rip my heart right outta my chest. Whew, I’ve got to figure a way to get her to stay on…get her involved with things in Brownville…get her to think of this as home so she won’t be so quick to climb back on a train and head back to the big city. And then…I’ve got to coax this wife of mine into seeing me as her husband…
Pauline had stopped just inside her door, listening as Iris explained where the facilities were, where clean towels were kept, meal times, and other pertinent information she would need to know.
When the proprietress mentioned that Tobias was also boarding with them, Pauline’s eyes lit up as they met his and she said, “Really? Where is your room, Tobias?” Oh Lord, I love the way my name sounds on her lips…
He cleared his throat and murmured, “Right here,” as he gestured to his door.
He watched then as a pretty blush infused her cheeks and she looked away for a moment, then back to meet his gaze again. “Oh…that will be convenient.”
Convenient! So! She has the same desire as I do, to get to know one another!
He choked back a yell, coughed, and managed a nod in answer.
Chapter 6
B right and early the next morning, Pauline made her way downstairs following the delicious aroma of bacon and something that smelled wonderfully of cinnamon.
After enjoying a small supper of hot soup and a sandwich, which Iris had brought to her room out of sympathy for her state of fatigue, Pauline had slept quite comfortably. She found this quite surprising as she didn’t normally sleep well the first night in a new bed. But there was something about this place…being among these people. Was it crazy that within the space of nearly twenty-four hours she felt right at home?
Thinking she had heard him moving around in the next room earlier, she was happy to find her new husband downstairs eating breakfast along with several others she had yet to meet. She assumed they were the other boarders.
“Good morning, Miss…Mrs. Keller,” Iris greeted, her face showing a bit of embarrassment over her mistake.
Pauline felt her own cheeks flush as everyone at the table turned their heads and looked at her, stopping in mid chew.
“Let me introduce everyone,” Iris went on. Pointing to the man sitting at the left hand of John Larson at the end of the table, she went around clockwise, “Next to Father is Milton Hicks—he teaches at the secondary school, then Henry Mester—he works at the Advertiser, Allan Cole—he has a tailor shop over on First Street, and Mr. and Mrs. Haggler—they are staying here while their home is being rebuilt after it caught fire two weeks
ago,” she added sympathetically.
Pauline nodded to each one, and mumbled an, “Oh, I’m so sorry,” toward the couple’s plight, before taking the only empty seat, which happened to be the one next to Tobias.
“I hope you rested after your long journey,” Iris added politely.
“Yes, I slept very well, thank you,” she answered the landlady, although her eyes drifted in the direction of her husband’s gaze with a shy smile. She had, of course, known he was sleeping on the other side of the wall from her own bed, and she had drifted off to sleep remembering the sound of his voice, his handsome smile, and those vivid blue eyes...
He moved his head in silent acknowledgment and took another bite.
Iris spoke up again, reclaiming her attention. “I’m sure you have some laundry from your long trip. If you just gather them up and set them outside your door, I’ll get them back to you by tomorrow morning,” the proprietress offered with a hopeful smile.
“Oh, well…that’s not necessary, ma’am,” Pauline began, thinking she needed to conserve her money—and laundry, she’d been told, was twenty-five cents extra per week. “If you’ll just show me where the laundry tub is, I could do them myself…” she trailed off as she saw a frown transform her landlord’s pleasant face. Belatedly she realized that the woman probably needed the extra money.
Suddenly, the thought occurred to her that these nice people might have somehow gotten the impression that she was kin to her benefactors back in Louisville, and therefore had funds at her disposal. During the tour of the town the day before, the occasional mention of the Fettermans had set her thinking that perhaps her mother’s employer had more to do with this little town in Nebraska than merely being the hometown of his wife. It was a puzzle, to be sure. She wondered how she could gently set the record straight…
“If money’s the issue, don’t you worry about that,” Tobias quickly spoke up, placing his fork on his plate as he earnestly caught the surprised look she had swung back at him. “I can get that for you. Matter of fact, I was just about to tell Miss Larson that I would take care of your rent. I am, after all, your husband, so—”
“No!” Pauline reacted, but sputtered to a stop at the look on Tobias’ face. She noticed the others had stopped eating and were looking back and forth between them. “I…I mean,” she backpedaled, “You don’t have to do that.”
“You’re my wife,” he stated flatly. “It’s my place. My responsibility.”
“I’m your wife, yes, but only on paper. In name only,” she reminded him, striving to keep her voice low. “I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you—you already gave me the use of your name to help get me out of a bad situation. You don’t even know me. I certainly don’t want to put you out or cause you any problems…”
“I can take care of you,” he responded, the look on his face suggesting that he was hurt or insulted by her refusal.
She tried a different tact. With a nod of agreement, she said softly, “I’m sure you can, Tobias. I…I merely don’t want to be a burden to you.”
“It’s no burden. I’ll be paying for anything you need. You just ask.”
With a nod of finality, he went back to his meal!
Goodness…I hadn’t counted on this. What should I do?
“But…Tobias…” she began, only to be interrupted by the others getting up from the table, en masse, and vacating the room. Pauline could only surmise that none of them wished to witness the newlyweds’ first fight. Personally, she could do without it herself!
Looking back to him, she saw that he was just about finished with his meal and so allowing herself to let the matter drop for now, she let out a small, resigned sigh, picked up her fork and took a bite of scrambled eggs.
“Mmm, these are very good,” she murmured, half to him and half to herself. She wondered what Iris added to simple eggs to make them taste so good.
“Yeah, Miz Larson’s a good cook,” he agreed, flashing her a hesitant smile.
For the next few minutes, they ate in silence until he finished and pushed back his plate, picked up his coffee cup, and sat there sipping. She was quickly learning that her husband was a man of few words. Yet, the quiet of the room wasn’t making her uncomfortable—which surprised her—she felt at ease in his company.
Finally, he looked around and let out a soft chuckle. “Well, looks like we’re finally alone. We didn’t get to say more than three words to each other yesterday after you arrived,” he looked toward her and raised his eyebrows.
She swallowed her last bite of cinnamon toast and reached for her napkin as she nodded in answer. Wiping her mouth, she picked up a glass of milk and took a drink.
Finally, she sent him a smile and agreed, “Yes, it was a bit crazy, wasn’t it? Everyone was so nice and accommodating. I hadn’t known what to expect…I’d even wondered if anyone would even meet me at the train station,” she added, half joking. She smiled again when he met her eyes, so that he would know she wasn’t making a disparaging remark.
“So…” he paused, cleared his throat, and seemed to start again. “Um, so, what happened back home that made you need to get out of town and…?” he hesitated and she figured he stopped himself from saying something like, and made you do something so drastic as marry by proxy a man you never met. He went on quickly, “I mean…you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to…”
Looking down at her plate and then back up at him, she found she did wish to tell him. After all, she felt like he was entitled to know what the fuss had been about. For goodness sake, he had agreed to give her his name and save her from a bad situation without knowing all of the facts—truthfully, on the scant strength of a recommendation from Mr. & Mrs. Fetterman. For all he knew, he could have been putting himself in danger from sources on her end.
“Well…it all had to do with a man I met at the hotel where my sister works as a maid…” she began, and for the next few minutes, she told him most of the heavy details, and he responded along the way with disapproving comments about the man’s character to have done such things, especially that of trying to push his suit upon her uninvited. His words and his chivalrous manner made her feel as if this husband of hers would be the kind to cherish and care for his wife, and champion her honor. It was a refreshingly good feeling.
As she reached the part where Elvira had gotten involved, Toby laughed and she paused and caught her lip between her teeth. “Oh, that’s right. You knew Mrs. Fetterman when she lived here…” She hoped she hadn’t said something that he would think of as wrong or gossip.
He chuckled again, and she couldn’t help but notice the neatly trimmed facial hair that graced his jaw and the lower part of his cheeks. She had to hold back a sudden irrational desire to lean over and caress it with her fingertips, test its warmth and coarseness of texture… press her lips against it.
Thrown by the direction of her thoughts, she snapped her attention back to what he was saying as he continued, “Yep. I grew up here and everyone in town, at one time or another, got cornered by her. When I was a kid, we called her Loco Mouth—” he stopped and added quickly, “That’s short for locomotive…not loco crazy…”
They looked at one another for a few beats and then simultaneously erupted into laughter.
Iris came in then to begin collecting the breakfast dishes and Pauline restrained her merriment and rose as if to help, but the proprietress waved her away. “No, that’s all right. Part of room and board. Besides, you two need to get to know one another. Toby…I mean Deputy Keller, she added pointedly, “Why don’t you take your bride for a walk or something.” She punctuated that statement with a twinkle-eyed grin.
Pauline opened her mouth to argue the bride part, but thought better of it as her groom stood up, laid down his napkin, and gave her a seemingly shy smile.
“Would you like to go for a walk with me…Pauline?” he asked, one hand extended toward one of hers.
A thrill surged through her and she held herself b
ack from blurting that, at that moment, she couldn’t think of much else she’d rather do and she would certainly enjoy taking a walk with him.
But relying on her mother’s lady lessons, she inclined her head in a demure nod and rose from her seat, placing her hand in his. She had wondered what it would feel like to actually touch him, but she wasn’t prepared for the impact the reality had on her senses. His hand was warm and strong, yet gentle, and she noticed a distinct bonding seemed to be taking place between them that she couldn’t explain. It was a continuation of the feeling she had the first time their eyes connected and she had known who he was before they were introduced. It felt so right to be holding his hand, she had to stifle a sigh of contentment.
Could I fall in love with this man? But…what if he never feels the same way? Oh my stars, it would be the absolute worst thing in the world if I let myself fall in love with my husband, only to have him later admit that he was just being nice and biding his time until the marriage could be annulled and he was free again. Free…goodness, I didn’t even ask but…what if he has an understanding with another girl?
At that moment, Pauline determined that she would find out for sure if her feelings for this man she married could ever be reciprocated.
As he released her hand and indicated for her to precede him out the door, she began to formulate a plan…
Strolling slowly together down the boardwalk along Main Street, Toby was very aware of Pauline’s delicate hand tucked securely in the crook of his elbow as he pointed out various businesses and related what he remembered from when he was younger, including the fact that when he had left, the streets had been mere dirt—mud when it rained. Now, they were paved with bricks, no doubt supplied by the two brick factories on the outskirts of town.