One Night With a Sweet-Talking Man

by Ana Leigh

  He cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand and she closed her eyes, savoring the comfort of his touch. “Don’t worry. I’ve been looking after myself for a long time. Nothing’s going to happen to any of us.”

  “Promise, Mr. Fraser?” she asked lightly, trying to ignore the arousal his touch was generating.

  “Promise, Miss Caroline,” he whispered tenderly.

  For a long moment he gazed deeply into her eyes. Holding her breath, she waited, torn between fear and hope. Then he dropped his hand and kissed her on her forehead, and moved away.

  The man was lethal; she had been too tempted to surrender to the comfort he offered. Her whole body was trembling, and she folded her arms across her chest to appear indifferent.

  “This whole situation just doesn’t make sense to me,” she said, hoping her voice wouldn’t crack. “Why would Mr. Calhoun want our land? He’s not married and has no heirs. He’s not interested in the mill and has never shown any desire to own property. If he did, there’ve been dozens of opportunities to acquire some in the past. My uncle even offered to sell him part of the south section at one time, and Calhoun wasn’t interested.”

  “Obviously he’s had second thoughts since the railroad came into the picture,” Jed said.

  “But why? It seems that what he would gain from the railroad easement rights is hardly worth threatening people’s lives for. And certainly not worth the cost of buying the land.”

  “Just winning or having power over others is often worth it to some people, Caroline. Does Calhoun hold any local office?”

  “He has his fingers in just about everything. Mayor of the town, chairman of the bank’s board of directors, as well as that of the school board. He handles all of the whole county’s legal transactions, and—”

  “Hold up a minute. Are you saying he’s the one who issues and files any property deeds for the county?” Jed asked.

  “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “Think how easy it would be for him to falsify any such records.”

  Caroline paused for a moment. “I suppose so, but I’ve never heard any rumor that he has. As I said, he’s never been interested in being a landowner. Besides, it’s rumored that he’s considering moving to Sacramento to go into politics, possibly running for governor in the next election. So why buy property if he intends to leave?”

  Jed thought for a long moment, then snapped his fingers. “That’s it!” He picked her up and swung her around. “Honey, that’s the missing link that ties it all together. Unless I’ve misjudged him completely, he sees this as an opportunity to make a big profit. He’s in a position to falsify any property claims—he’s most likely forged your father’s name on the easement agreement already. He tries to intimidate him into selling out cheaply, and when the time is right, Calhoun will produce that deed, falsely dated, that indicates your father didn’t have legal ownership of the property when he signed the agreement. Then he’ll produce his false claim of ownership and increase the easement cost when it’s too late and too expensive for the railroad to pull out. They’ll have no choice but to give him what he wants.”

  “How could he possibly get away with it?”

  “From what you’ve told me, he sounds sly enough to get away with anything. When his mission is accomplished, he’ll resell the land for twenty times more than what he bought it for. Add it all together, and the result is a very tidy profit for Mr. Vincent Calhoun. As clever as it is crooked.”

  “That may be, but he’s incredibly wealthy already. Father heard he struck it big during the Gold Rush of ’49.”

  “Which only makes him a big fish in a little pond. It will take a lot of money for an unknown like Calhoun to be elected governor. He knows he’ll have to buy the election, to pay off every crooked ward boss in the state to deliver him the votes.”

  “But who would believe us? It’s his word against ours—and he’s the one with the money,” Caroline said.

  “Exactly. That’s why I’m hoping you’ll reconsider my suggestion of going to my brother’s home, where you and Garrett will be safe.”

  “That would only be a temporary cure, Jed. Without knowing how long this situation will last, it wouldn’t solve the problem because we can’t stay there indefinitely. We need a solution now, so that we don’t have to live in fear.”

  Jed nodded. “We need to beat Calhoun to the punch. Knowing you and Garrett are safe would give your father and me the time to go to Sacramento and speak personally to Leland Stanford, the president of the Central Pacific Railroad. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of days.”

  “Stanford has a reputation for being crooked and unscrupulous.”

  “I know, but your father told me he met Stanford when the man was running for governor and they became quite friendly. And according to my brothers, Stanford’s admired more than he’s condemned. Think of it, Caroline: if it weren’t for visionaries like him, this country wouldn’t have a transcontinental railroad. That accomplishment is so great, people are willing to forgive the methods he used. Maybe once Stanford knows what Calhoun intends, he won’t want to blemish that achievement by having anything to do with a shyster like him.”

  “Stanford probably hired Calhoun because he is dishonest. Birds of a feather, you know.”

  “I still want to at least make the attempt. Since Calhoun’s threats to you and Garrett have failed, I suspect he’ll move quickly to eliminate Nathan to make his plan plausible. Your father’s life is at risk every moment we delay.”

  “Then Garrett and I will go to Sacramento with you. We’ll be just as safe there as we would be at your brother’s.”

  “You don’t know my brothers. They’re an army unto themselves.”

  “Sorry to interrupt you, but I’d like to speak to you in my den, Jed,” Nathan said from the doorway.

  “It’s been a busy day,” Caroline said. “Good night.” She kissed Nathan on the cheek and went upstairs.

  “Close the door, Jed,” Nathan said, when Jed followed him into the room. “I’ve just made out a new will which I’ll have certified in Sacramento tomorrow.”

  “Sir, once we expose Calhoun’s intentions, he wouldn’t dare try to harm you.”

  “Regardless, I put a change in my will that relates to you. I’ve made you the executor of the will. As Garrett’s father, I know you can be trusted.”

  “Garrett’s father! What are you talking about?”

  “Jed, this situation with Calhoun is getting too serious to continue to deny it. If Calhoun carries out his threats, I could end up dead or a pauper. I want to make certain that my daughter and grandson—your son—will be provided for according to the terms of my will.”

  “Sir, I swear on my honor that I am not Garrett’s father! I never had any kind of contact with Caroline before you left Virginia.”

  “Jed, you’re like a son to me. Why are you denying the obvious?”

  Jed couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What do you consider the obvious, sir?”

  “Why, the boy’s a Fraser from head to toe. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize that sooner, but seeing you two together is living proof of it. Same color of hair and eyes. Same nose and jaw. I’m disappointed that you didn’t have the honor to do right by my daughter and your son.”

  “Sir, it’s not unusual for people to have similar features. Why, my brothers and I all have the same…Oh, my God, my brothers!”

  Nathan appeared similarly shocked. “Could one of your brothers possibly have fathered Garrett?”

  Jed jumped to his feet. “There’s one sure way of finding out the truth.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get Caroline.”

  “But she refuses to name the father.”

  “She will to me,” Jed declared, already out the door.

  He scaled the stairs two at a time, went directly to her room, opened the door without pausing to knock, and strode in.

  Caroline was sitting up in bed, reading. Startled, she pulled up
the sheet to cover her nightdress. “What is it? What happened?” she asked in alarm.

  Jed looked at her implacably “Tell me, Caroline. Which one of my brothers is Garrett’s father?”

  Caroline had feared Jed would discover the truth every day since his arrival, and the dreaded moment had now arrived.

  “How dare you burst into my room without knocking! Please leave at once.”

  “Don’t pull that indignant routine with me, lady. Thanks to you, a man I’ve respected for over fifteen years has just accused me of dishonorably fathering your son.”

  “I never said you were Garrett’s father!” she protested.

  Jed slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Now I see why Calhoun and Slatter made those comments.” He pulled the sheet off her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her out of bed.

  “What do you think you’re doing? Get your hands off me!”

  Grabbing the robe at the foot of the bed, he shoved it at her. “Put this on. I want your father to hear the truth from your mouth, not mine.”

  Caroline planted her bare feet firmly on the floor and crossed her arms. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Now get out of here.”

  As he forced her arms into the sleeves of the robe, she tried to slap away his hands. “I’m not budging from this spot!”

  “We’ll see about that.” He swept her up in his arms.

  Caroline struggled to free herself as he carried her downstairs, then plopped her down in the chair in front of Nathan’s desk. “Now, start talking. We want some answers.”

  She jumped to her feet. “Father, are you going to let this bully continue to manhandle me?”

  “Caroline, he only wants the truth, and so do I.”

  “Which one of my brothers, Caroline? They’re all happily married now with families of their own, so you can have the pleasure of complicating one of their lives as you have your son’s.”

  “How dare you question my motherhood!”

  “You’ve denied Garrett a father, haven’t you?”

  “For a good reason.”

  “No reason is good enough. My brothers are all decent, hardworking, and totally devoted to their wives and children.”

  Caroline scoffed. “Are we referring to the same boys? Back in Virginia, everyone in the county knew how wild you Fraser boys were.”

  “Wake up, lady. My brothers aren’t boys anymore—they’re men. They’ve fought a goddamn war, saw their buddies shot or blown apart, and buried people they loved. And if any one of them knew he fathered a son, you can be damn sure he wouldn’t deny him. So look in the mirror, and you’ll see who needs some growing up.”

  “Enough, both of you,” Nathan declared. “Nothing is gained by this squabbling and name-calling.”

  “All I want to know is which of my brothers is Garrett’s father.”

  “You must tell him, Caroline. Jed is right; you can’t conceal such a truth from the father of a child. A man has the right to know.”

  She leaned over his desk and looked him in the eye. “And what of my rights, Father? I’m the one who bore him, nursed him, healed his bruises, and dried his tears. I laugh when he does; I cry when he cries; and my heart bleeds when he bleeds. I don’t need ‘the man who fathered him’ to do it for me.”

  Unimpressed, Jed snorted. “Countless mothers have done the same before you. That doesn’t change the fact that my brother is entitled to know he has a son.”

  “Honey, tell him who it is,” Nathan said kindly.

  “So he can come and take him away? Garrett’s my life, Father. I won’t give him up.” She turned to Jed. “You said yourself that it will only complicate your brother’s life. So why does he have to know?”

  “Your feelings and my brother’s aren’t the only ones at stake here. A boy needs the chance to know his father, and his other siblings. If you love Garrett as much as you claim you do, then you owe it to him to tell him.”

  Jed hated the whole damn mess. There was no way either Caroline and one of his brothers wouldn’t be hurt by it, but there was no way he could turn his back on it now. And he trusted the integrity of his brothers enough to know that any one of them would want to do right by the boy.

  Caroline drew a shuddering breath, then her shoulders slumped. “Andy is Garrett’s father.”

  Jed pivoted sharply, his anger renewed. “What in hell are you trying to pull with a damn lie like that? Don’t you have any conscience at all?”

  Bewildered, she asked, “What do you mean? I’m telling you the truth.”

  “Andy’s dead. You damn well know it, and now you’re trying to have a dead man take the blame.”

  Caroline paled. “He’s…he’s dead? I had no idea.” She sank down in the chair. “How? And when?”

  “In sixty-three. He was killed in Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg.”

  Tears glistened in her eyes when she looked up at him. “I’m so sorry.” Her chin trembled, and she fought to hold back her tears. “He was so sweet. So kind and good. And all this time, I thought…I swear, I had no idea—”

  “I don’t believe you. Andy was just a kid—he couldn’t have been more than sixteen when you left Virginia.”

  “And I was only fifteen,” she railed in her own defense. “Was I any less of a child than Andy?”

  “Did you know you were pregnant when you left?”

  “No. I didn’t realize it until we were at sea.”

  Jed turned to Nathan. “Did you know that, sir?”

  “Of course not. I would have insisted they marry, had I known.”

  “That still doesn’t excuse why you didn’t write him, Caroline, to let him know. You certainly had enough time to do it before he was killed.”

  “I did write him,” she declared. “He never answered.”

  Jed had never felt such anger. He curled his hands into fists, yearning to pound the wall in frustration.

  “My brother went to his grave not knowing he had a son. My folks went to theirs without knowing they had a grandson to keep the memory of their son alive. Did it occur to you he may never have received the letter?”

  “Since I never heard back from him, I assumed he didn’t want anything to do with us.”

  “You really thought a kid with aspirations of becoming a minister would abandon you and his child? I don’t believe you.”

  “I was sixteen when Garrett was born—just a child myself. I was ashamed and felt guilty for bearing a child out of wedlock. Is that so difficult to understand?”

  “Didn’t it occur to you to write to my parents and at least inform them of their grandchild?”

  “Why? So they would force Andy into a marriage I believed he didn’t want? Your arguments are coming from an adult. Try looking through the eyes of a sixteen-year-old.”

  “But you’re no longer that sixteen-year-old, Caroline. What about now? Does it occur to you now?” he shouted. “No, you still want to deny Andy’s son any knowledge of his father. At least you could have told me the truth when we met again.”

  “I was petrified—why do you think I tried to drive you away? Not knowing Andy was dead, I knew you would tell him. I feared he’d insist on raising Garrett and take him back to Virginia.”

  “Your fears are just starting, lady.”

  “Don’t try to threaten me, Jed. Since Andy and I weren’t married and his father is dead, you have no legal claim on Garrett.”

  “Garrett’s a Fraser, so this is a question of family honor. And as long as there’s breath in me, he’s going to be raised a Fraser.”

  He turned to Nathan and stood at full attention. “Captain Collins, I am asking your permission to marry your daughter.”

  Caroline erupted. “Marry! That’s ludicrous! Now who’s thinking like a child?”

  Nathan sighed. “Jed, nothing would please me more for the sake of my grandson’s welfare. Of course you have my permission, but it’s Caroline’s decision whether or not she will marry you.”

  “And my decision is no.”


  Jed ignored her. “Then may I ask another favor, sir? Will you consider signing ownership of this property and mill over to Garrett, with me as the executor?”

  Jed waited on edge as Nathan gave a long look, and he saw the moment when Nathan figured out the bluff he was trying to pull on Caroline.

  Nathan stood up to shake his hand. “I can’t think of anyone I’d trust to do a better job,” he said.

  “Thank you, sir. I only have Garrett’s welfare in mind.”

  Aghast, Caroline stared at her father. “You would do that to me, Father?”

  “Only to assure Garrett’s interests, Caroline. And by so doing, I know your interests will be protected, as well.”

  “Do you think I’d remain here as long as Jed is in charge? This is the only home Garrett’s ever known! He loves it here. It would break his heart if I took him away from here. I can’t believe you’d risk that on the word of this man.”

  She glared at Jed. “The minute you walked back into our lives, I knew you would be trouble.”

  “I’m sorry our relationship has to end so bitterly, Caroline, but business is business, and we Frasers look after one another’s interests. I suggest you reconsider my marriage proposition.”

  “When Hell freezes over, Mr. Fraser.” She walked out with as much dignity as possible when one is barefooted.

  CHAPTER

  8

  The following morning, anger lay like an ember under Jed’s skin, waiting for the minutest spark to set it ablaze.

  He had anticipated a royal battle from Caroline, perhaps even an announcement that she wouldn’t accompany them to Sacramento.

  Surprisingly she appeared quite calm when she joined them for breakfast and offered a morning greeting to all, although she didn’t speak directly to him.

  He was certain she had some plan in mind, but it wouldn’t do her one damn bit of good. He had admired her spirit and grit, but whether she liked it or not, he intended to decide the outcome of this situation regarding Garrett.

  Throughout the night he had pondered the situation. Even if she was telling the truth and written the letter, which he doubted, there was no excuse not to inform the rest of the family about Garrett’s existence in the years that followed. Her courage and struggle to raise Garrett were commendable for one so young, but he just couldn’t justify the decision she made that followed.