by Kit Morgan
“Whatever do you mean?” Constance said in surprise.
“It’s too late. Mr. Davis just told us if we left now we’d be drivin’ that wagon in the dark for hours. We’ll leave at first light and get there in two days.”
“But you’ve loaded the wagon,” Eloise said. “Why bother if we’re not leaving?”
“On account we’re goin’ to the hotel. Ya don’t want us to have to carry everythin’, do ya? C’mon, let’s go.”
“Oh, very well,” Constance said. “I do hope they have hot baths. I could certainly use one – couldn’t you, sister?”
“Oh heavens, yes!” Eloise picked up her skirts and followed Constance and Ryder toward the stairs leading off the platform.
Viola stood, her heart in her throat. What was she going to do? She knew she should’ve counted her money before this, but assumed Clarence would have the funds to cover them for a night’s lodging, so why worry? Only without Clarence here …
“Mrs. Todd?” Mr. White said, concerned. “Are ya all right? Ya look kinda pale all of a sudden.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m afraid … it’s just that …” She quickly opened her reticule, reached in and pulled out a small coin purse. She opened it, ignoring his watchful stare and took out what money she had in despair.
He suddenly straightened and jabbed a thumb at his chest “I got ya covered, ma’am.”
Her head snapped up, mouth half open. “What?”
“I said, I got ya covered.”
“What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “I guess we talk a little different in Clear Creek. It means ya don’t gotta worry about money for tonight. Yer paid for.”
She looked at him as she clutched the money in her hand. “Oh, Mr. White, I can’t let you do –”
“Sure ya can. If’n it makes ya feel better, yer brother can pay me back once ya see him.”
She shook her head, half in protest and half in disbelief. “Mr. White, I don’t know what to say. That’s very kind of you.”
He held up a hand. “Any gentleman’d do the same, ma’am. You and yer younguns need a place to stay tonight, and the hotel’s our only option. ‘Less ya wanna curl up on one of them benches,” he said with a toss of his head.
“Benches?!” Wylie gasped. “We’d freeze!”
“Wylie,” Viola scolded. “Mind your manners.”
Mr. White laughed. “He’s right. Ya’d best come along and enjoy a nice warm bed at the hotel.”
Viola shuddered when his hand went to the small of her back and gave her a gentle nudge toward the stairs. “Rest assured, Mr. White, I’ll speak with my brother as soon as I see him.”
“Ya do that, ma’am, but I wouldn’t worry. I got some money. Payin’ for an extra room at the hotel for one night ain’t gonna break me.”
She stopped and turned to him. “Thank you, sir.”
He gazed into her eyes. “Think nothin’ of it.”
* * *
Caleb couldn’t bring himself to pull away. She had the most beautiful eyes and creamy skin! He liked the way her dark lashes fluttered against her cheeks … except that she looked ready to cry and was trying to keep the tears at bay. Poor thing, she had to be plumb scared to be stranded like this.
He hoped he wasn’t tempted to hit her brother when he met him. He knew it would make him feel better about the situation, but wouldn’t do much to impress her, or the Joneses. And Morgan’s Crossing was a small town – it wouldn’t do to start a feud.
He gently touched the small of her back to get her moving again. Wylie and Katie seemed to think the whole thing was a grand adventure and skipped along beside them. At least they didn’t mind having to stay in Sweetwater Springs for the night. “I can’t wait to see if there are spiders in the room!” Katie cackled.
“Don’t start that talk!” her brother cried. “I hate them, you hear me? Hate them!”
“You ain’t ‘fraid of a li’l ol’ spider, are ya?” Caleb asked. “I thought ya got over bein’ scared of ‘em on the train.”
“Yes, he is, and no, he didn’t,” Katie taunted. “He’s always been afraid of them.”
“I have not!”
“That’s okay,” Caleb said. “Remember what I told ya on the train? I used to be ‘fraid of them too. That is, until I learned which ones were nice and which ones to stay away from.”
“None of them are nice!” Wylie said emphatically as they headed down the street. They were walking to the hotel while El Davis drove the wagon loaded with their satchels and trunks. Caleb considered it a fine circumstance, since he got to walk next to Mrs. Todd. She sure was pretty, and he stole glances at her as they strolled along. “Some ain’t so bad,” he finally said. “In fact, some of the little critters are right purty.”
“There is no such thing as a pretty spider,” Wylie said with a glare.
His mother caught the look. “Wylie, don’t be rude.”
“He’s all right, ma’am. He’s just speakin’ his mind is all.”
She gave him a sideways glance, swallowed hard, then faced forward again. “I really don’t know why he’s so afraid of them. But then, I don’t know why Katie loves them so. You’d think it would be the other way around.”
Caleb laughed. “Well, I figger it ain’t so much that boys love spiders as that we ain’t as opposed to them as females are. On average.”
That got her to smile, and Caleb’s chest swelled. “I suppose you’re right,” she said. “Perhaps if our mothers didn’t teach us that spiders were bad, people would be more tolerant of them.”
“Yeah, mommas teach boys we’re the ones that have to kill them. But in our minds that’s okay on account of they’re small. So what’s the problem?”
She laughed. “Did you hear that, Wylie? You’re much bigger than any spider.”
Wylie chanced a quick glare at his mother and quickly looked away, lest she scold him. Caleb figured he’d better say something before she did. “I wouldn’t worry, ma’am – he’ll grow out of it. I did.”
“How old were you?”
He pressed his lips together, feigning embarrassment. “Well … a lot older than Wylie.”
Her shoulders shook in silent mirth. “You don’t have to tell me, Mr. White. But it’s good to know you got over it.”
“Oh, I did all right. Like I said, once I figgered out most of them are harmless, me and the eight-legged fellas got along just fine.”
“Ewwww!” Wylie said with a shudder. “Not me! I’m never going to get along with them!”
“So much for your attempt at reassurance, Mr. White. But thank you all the same.”
He laughed and, without thinking, patted her on the shoulder with a warm hand. He held his breath a moment as she looked at him, surprised, but said nothing.
Thankfully they’d reached the hotel – a two-story yellow structure called the Lindsey. The Jones brothers and their wives were in the lobby. He opened the door for Mrs. Todd and her children and motioned them in.
The little group went straight to the hotel counter where Seth and Ryder were signing in. “Is this the rest of your party?” the clerk asked.
Seth glanced over his shoulder at them. “Yes, they are.”
“We got yer room,” Ryder said. “If you wanna hot bath, ya can pay the extra.”
Caleb turned and smiled at Mrs. Todd. “One of the perks of workin’ for the S&R Ranch – they pay our travel expenses. Most of them, anyway.”
“How nice,” she said, looking at the hotel clerk in trepidation.
“C’mon, Caleb,” Ryder said. “Let’s get everythin’ out of the wagon and take it all upstairs.”
“Can I have a quick minute, boss? I wanna make sure Mrs. Todd and her younguns get checked in all right.”
Ryder noted Mrs.Todd’s worried expression and slowly nodded. “Fine. I’ll wait for ya outside.”
Caleb watched him go and saw Mr. Davis had already parked the wagon. He took Mrs. Todd by the elbow and steered her toward the counter. “This fine lady a
nd her younguns need a room, sir.”
“Very well.” The man jotted something down in the register. He turned the big book around and held out the pen in his hand. “If you’ll just sign here, ma’am.”
“Are you sure about this?” Mrs. Todd asked Caleb.
“Are ya kiddin’?” he answered with a chuckle. “Just sign the register and stop worryin’.” Of course, for all he knew she had good reason to worry. A lot of things could happen to a man on the trail, even one fairly well-traveled. He hoped they didn’t find her brother dead in a ditch somewhere along the way.
She stared at him with those big violet eyes. “I can’t thank you enough, Mr. White. Really.”
“Aw shucks, ma’am, it’s the neighborly thing to do.”
“Neighborly?”
“Yeah. If’n yer gonna be livin’ in Morgan’s Crossin’ and I’m workin’ the Jones place, that makes us neighbors.”
She smiled at his logic and signed the register. “Since you put it that way, I feel obligated to let you do the neighborly thing.”
“I knew ya’d see things my way.” He pulled some money out of his pocket and put it on the counter. “Toss in two hot baths, will ya? One for each of our rooms.”
“One for the lady and her children … or one for you and the lady?” the hotel owner asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Hmmm,” Caleb mused. “Better make it three baths – one for the lady, one for the younguns, one for me.”
Mrs. Todd gaped at him a second, smiled, then shook her head. “Mr. White …”
He held up both hands. “This one’s on me. Yer brother don’t have to pay me back a penny.”
Four
Mr. White escorted Viola and the children to their room, bid her a polite farewell, then strolled down the hall to his own accommodations. She watched him until he disappeared before ducking into her own room, closing the door behind her. “My goodness,” she whispered.
“Mama!” Katie cried. “Look how big the bed is!”
Viola sighed in relief at the sight of the bed. It was much bigger than the one at the last train stop. In fact, this room was much cleaner too. Poor Katie – there probably wasn’t a spider to be found.
Wylie sat on the bed and bounced a few times. “It’s soft,” he observed.
“Thank Heaven for that,” Viola said as she joined him. “Now, as Mr. White was kind enough to pay for baths for all of us, I think those should be the first order of business, don’t you?”
“No,” Wylie was quick to say. “I’m hungry. I think we should eat first.”
Viola rubbed her forehead. “Lord have mercy, I forgot about supper.” Thankfully, thanks to Mr. White she had enough money left for a few meals. Of course, if Clarence didn’t show up tomorrow she might be in a bind all over again.
He must have gotten his dates mixed up – he usually did when it came to important matters. But if there was no sign of him tomorrow and she had to travel with the Joneses to Morgan’s Crossing, how was she going to pay for accommodations or food tomorrow night? She couldn’t expect Mr. White to do it again – he’d been far too generous already, and would certainly expect Clarence to pay him back. She wasn’t sure how Clarence would feel about that, but it was his fault to begin with …
“Mama?” Katie said.
“What is it?”
“I’m hungry too.”
“Then I guess we’d better take care of our baths quickly, hadn’t we?”
“All right, but then can we eat?” Katie pleaded.
Viola looked at her reticule on the small table by the door. “Yes, though we might have to share. You understand, don’t you?”
“Sure we do, Mama,” Wylie said. “We’ve been sharing the whole trip. But I hope when we get to Uncle Clarence’s house I can have a meal to myself.”
“You will, I promise,” Viola said, hoping to Heaven it was true.
* * *
After she and the children bathed, she ushered them back to their room for a quick nap before supper. She split the last half-sandwich between Wylie and Katie and ignored her own hunger pangs. If she ended up relying more on Mr. White’s largesse, provided he was willing, she wanted to make sure it was for accommodations rather than food. If the three of them split a meal tonight and breakfast tomorrow, they should have enough for one more shared meal tomorrow evening.
Clarence had mentioned something about accommodations available between Sweetwater Springs and Morgan’s Crossing, but she couldn’t remember what. Good heavens, did he even say there was a hotel? She wasn’t sure. She suspected there might only be some family farm serving as a stage stop – or worse, they’d be left to sleep in the wagon along the roadside, prey for who knew what beasts or ne’er-do-wells.
After they rested, they ventured downstairs where Viola inquired of Mr. Lindsey, the hotel owner, where to eat. He directed them to a café close by. She thanked him and they left. She was disappointed she hadn’t seen Mr. White and his party, but figured they were probably resting as well.
The three had a relatively peaceful supper – Wylie hit Katie only once, and she in turn kicked him only twice – then returned to the hotel. She still hadn’t seen her traveling companions and wondered if they were taking supper in their rooms. But then, she didn’t think the Lindsey had a cook on staff. There wasn’t a dining parlor, that she could see.
Viola was surprised at how disappointed she felt at not seeing Mr. White the rest of the evening. For Heaven’s sake, she’d likely be traveling with the man for another day – wasn’t that enough? Why was she feeling so … so … hmm, what was she feeling? Other than grateful to him for getting her and the children a room and two hot baths, and it wasn’t like she was indebted to the man.
Then she realized what it was. “Oh dear me.” She was looking forward to seeing him again.
Granted, he was rather attractive … okay, more than rather; he was downright gorgeous. And she had enjoyed his company on the long train ride, no doubt about that. But there was no need to get into a swoon about him. Well, perhaps she’d see him around Morgan’s Crossing now and then.
She smiled at the thought as she got ready to tuck the children into bed. “Wylie, Katie, time to say your prayers.” The children, now in their nightclothes, raced for the bed and dropped to their knees. Both clasped their hands at the same time in front of their little faces. “My, what’s the rush?” Viola asked.
“It’s cold,” Wylie stated.
“I want to pray for Uncle Clarence,” Katie added.
Viola smiled. “Maybe we all ought to pray for Uncle Clarence. I do hope he shows up tomorrow.”
“Dear Lord,” Katie said, not wasting time. “Please fix Uncle Clarence’s memory so he won’t forget to fetch us and please help Mama get more food to feed us. My tummy hurts sometimes and I don’t like it. But you can fix it, I know you can.”
Viola’s smile faded. “Katie, are you still hungry?”
Katie took on a guilty look. “I’m sorry, Mama, yes.”
“Wylie? You too?”
He gave her the same guilty look. “We didn’t want to tell you because you looked scared earlier.”
Viola closed her eyes a moment. Was her worry that evident? “I’m sorry if you’re still hungry, but I have to make the money stretch.”
“In case Uncle Clarence forgets us again tomorrow?” Katie asked.
Viola bit her bottom lip and nodded sagely. She would have a few choice words for her brother when she saw him. “But even if he does, we can ride with the Jones family and Mr. White to Morgan’s Crossing. Don’t worry, we’ll get there.”
“Hooray, Mr. White!” Wylie said with a big smile.
“He can tell us more stories,” Katie added, clapping her hands.
Their reaction warmed Viola’s heart. She hoped Clarence could instill the same joy in them as Mr. White was. “But remember, only if your Uncle Clarence has his dates mixed up more than I think he has,” she explained. “Otherwise we’ll be traveling to Morgan’s Cros
sing with him.”
“I hope he forgets,” Katie said quickly and grinned.
“You silly little duck,” Viola laughed. “Get into bed, both of you.”
The children scrambled to comply. She tucked them in, turned down the lantern to a soft glow, then went to get into her own nightclothes. As she did, she was surprised to find that she, too, hoped Clarence forgot. For tomorrow, anyway.
* * *
The next morning the children were excited to be on their way. The three met Mr. White in the hall as they prepared to go downstairs. “Mornin’,” he said with a wide smile. “Sleep well?”
Viola looked up from fussing with one of Katie’s braids and stifled a gasp. How could he look more handsome today than yesterday? She allowed herself a second or two to drink in the sight of him, then said, “Very well, thank you. This had been the nicest hotel we’ve stayed in since leaving Baker City.” Not that that standard was hard to reach.
He watched her a moment, and she had the tiniest hope he found her attractive. “I gotta say, Mrs. Todd, but yer mighty …” He licked his lips. Good heavens, was he blushing? “… um, chipper lookin’ in the mornin’.”
Viola could only stare. Chipper?
Katie tugged on his coat sleeve. “Mr. White?”
“What, honey pie?”
“Can we … wait, what did you call me?” Katie asked, her little face scrunched up in confusion.
“‘Honey pie?’ Someone from my hometown calls his wife that,” he explained.
“That’s a funny name. Is she sticky?”
Viola almost choked. “I would hope not.” Her eyes met Mr. White’s and something fluttered in her belly. She swallowed hard and went back to adjusting the ribbon on Katie’s braid. “Is it almost time to go?”
“Yes, ma’am. I was just comin’ to fetch ya.”
She nodded, not knowing what to say. Why this sudden shyness? Unless … no.
“I can carry your satchels down for ya, if ya like.” He pointed at the bags next to Viola’s feet.
Viola met his gaze, and a shiver went up her spine. “Thank you.”