by Natalie Dean
"I was almost a goner…"
"Lottie, we arrived to see Willie running off. We paid no heed to him. He's a scavenger by nature. We were more concerned by the smoke and embers, and I could see you lying there. I was sure you were dead. Then I saw Doc trying to follow Willie to capture him."
Mrs. Lavery took over from Cecilia, "Seeing the doctor giving chase, Cecilia followed him, and I took you in my arms. Your breathing was faint, but where there's breath, there's hope."
"Did you catch Willie? Is he in jail?" Lottie asked, anxious to know what had happened. She watched them look at each other. Something had happened.
"Willie kept running, and there was a herd of buffalo coming through. They roam through the prairie. He didn't stand a chance," Doc said as he took Lottie's hands in his. He was hoping he could be a supportive friend and perhaps more if she'd have him.
"It's over now, and we've been investigating Frank's wife. It turns out she's dead too. She got pneumonia and succumbed to it," Cecilia told her.
Lottie wanted to know about the children. "We still haven't been able to track down Frank's brother. We're working on it, and I feel sure we'll find them."
Lottie looked so downhearted.
"I think Lottie needs some tea and bread. Then you'll have to rest. It's doctor's orders," Doc smiled as he pulled the bedclothes around Lottie.
"And perhaps you'll rest now too, Doctor McLennon," Mrs. Lavery said, "you come with me and get something to eat too. Cecilia can tend to Lottie."
After Mrs. Lavery and Doc had left the room, Cecilia said, "You should have seen the way he took care of you, Lottie. He never wanted to leave your side, but Mrs. Lavery is a force to be reckoned with. We were worried we'd lose you. You will stay in Bannack now, won't you?"
"Where else would I go? Did Doc tell you about the letters we found? We found out why Frank had sent for a wife."
Cecilia nodded. Frank was doing the right thing.
"I told you, Lottie, if Frank had money he'd have spent it on you. He just lacked direction."
"Cecilia, what will happen to Frank's farm? I mean, if we don't find his brother."
"You don't need to worry about that, Lottie. Much has happened while you were sleeping. It turns out that Sheriff Palmer was running the gang. He knew the routes and times of the stages and of anyone who found gold.”
The children were still on Lottie's mind. Them and Doc. Had she imagined what had passed between them?
Horace arrived with breakfast for Lottie. Famished, Lottie began to eat her food so fast that Cecilia was sure it’d all come back up in a minute.
Horace peeked his head in the door and said, "Mrs. Aikens, mother would like you to join her downstairs."
Lottie was alone. Life certainly moved at a faster pace than she thought it would here. While she wanted to feel sorry for Willie, she couldn't help but feel he had brought this on himself. Where had Frank gotten the gold from? There hadn't been any signs of digging.
Her bedroom door opened and Doc came in.
"Lottie, there's something I want to tell you, well… ask you…"
Lottie however, cut Doc off with questions of her own. "Doc, where did Frank get the gold? We didn't see any digging," Lottie asked unaware of his discomfort. However, he recovered himself to answer.
"Cecilia went back. It seems that old Willie had made a hide-out under the floor of the cabin. Some people do this in case of attacks from Indians or outlaws. Anyway, she came across the hide-out, and there was a bag of gold coins. Frank didn't find gold on the land. He came across the gold. We think he might have found where the gang stashed their loot."
"I see," Lottie said, not quite sure that she did see. Who would own the gold now? Could they keep it as a reward? So many unanswered questions.
"What happens with it now?"
"Lottie, I answer one question, and you ask another. Please stop."
She looked at Doc who was very flustered as he stood before her. What did she say to upset him?
"I'm sorry, I only wanted to know what happened. I don't know how…"
Doc leaned forward and kissed her to stop her talking. He pulled away from her.
"It was the only way I could get you stop talking. I need to ask if you will marry me and stay in Bannack. Before you answer, please be aware that I stand here with my heart in my hands, so take care not to hurt it."
"Doc, I would love to marry you, but I have one question?"
"Ask."
"I cannot marry a man whose name I do not know. So, can you tell me your name?"
They began to laugh.
"It's Hamish, Lottie. My name is Hamish McLennon."
Epilogue
"You look beautiful, Lottie," Cecilia was adding flowers to Lottie's hair.
"I don't feel nervous at all. Isn't that strange? Dear cousin Cecilia. I'm so happy to have a family now."
Lottie admired herself in the mirror. It wasn't something she was used to doing, but today she wanted to look lovely. Cecilia had done a fine job. Lottie's hair was down at Doc's request. He loved her fiery wild red hair.
"It's a big day for the town too. Our new Sheriff arrives. I wonder what he'll be like," Cecilia said.
Lottie was too excited to think about a new Sheriff. It was three weeks since that dreadful business with her illness. She had received a telegram from Mary to say that Daniel Peabody was arrested for the murder of a young woman. It seemed he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. His influential friends had immediately distanced themselves from him. Lottie felt justice was being served for Mr. Peabody. Although part of her had to have gratitude towards him. If it weren’t for Daniel Peabody's appalling behavior, she would never have come to Bannack.
"How much time do we have left, Cecilia?"
"It's time, Lottie. Let's go."
The two friends left the hotel with Lottie carrying a basket. They walked arm in arm to the surgery. Mrs. Lavery was wiping the dust from Doc's jacket, and he smiled as he saw his wife. The pastor married them only a few weeks earlier while Lottie was still in her sick bed.
"You two go and get them. I'll have the food set out. Cecilia, Horace, you two come back to the hotel."
"Are you ready Mrs. McLennon?"
Lottie giggled as she put her arm through her husband's. Lottie and Doc went to the post office to await the arrival of the stage. It was the day Lottie had waited for. She got nervous as she saw the horses coming towards them.
"Hamish, will they like us?"
"They will love us, Lottie. Stop fretting," Doc said as he patted her hand.
Mrs. Lavery and Cecilia, with Moll's help, had many contacts. It transpired that George Ward, Frank's brother, had died. His three children, a son aged six and twin girls aged five were in Lottie's orphanage. This was the day the children were arriving with a chaperone. Lottie and Doc were adopting them. They had already hired a farm hand to manage the newly renamed Ward Place. It was the children's legacy, and when the boy got older, he could take it over.
Lottie could feel her heart race as the stage drew closer. It stopped, and Lottie tried to see, but it was too dark. Then a woman emerged and lifted out two little girls and then the boy.
"Welcome children, I'm Lottie, and this is Doc."
The children huddled around the woman. So much change had occurred in their young lives.
Lottie knelt down. From her basket, she produced two dolls which she handed to the girls. Then she handed a ball to the boy.
"Thank you, Miss Lottie. Their names are Betty and Gertie. My name is John." The young boy told his sisters to say thank you, and he reached out to shake hands with Lottie and Doc. He was very protective of his sisters. The chaperone held the girls' hands, and they all went to the hotel. Mrs. Lavery had lots of food, and soon the children looked a little happier.
Lottie smiled as she watched them together.
"We've done a good thing. No one else would take the three of them and they need each other," she said to Doc as he sat beside her.
"The reward money is theirs. The town has decided on it."
Lottie smiled. Doc had promised to take care of everything, and he had. She was so happy. She knew the children would need time to settle, but she had all the time in the world.
One Year Later
Doc paced back and forth with his daughters in his arms. John was following his father's footsteps in the dusty ground, jumping from step to step.
"Papa, where's mama?" Betty asked.
"She’s with Aunt Cecilia. Remember she's having a baby."
Doc couldn't settle. It seemed to be taking a long time.
"I want a brother. I'm sick of girls," John added and his sisters began to say they wanted a new sister.
It had been a busy year. Within a few weeks of arriving, the children seemed to sense they were in a permanent home. They settled and thrived in the fresh air. Lottie cried when Betty had fallen over and called for "mama" and meant Lottie. Doc was soon being called papa and adored being a father. John was his shadow and went on his house calls with him.
He and Lottie were happy. Ward Place was flourishing and the farm hand, Caleb, became an extended member of the family. It was only in the last few months that the new home was ready for occupation. And today it would welcome a new arrival.
A baby's cry sounded, and Doc felt relieved. Too much knowledge was a dangerous thing as he had allowed his imagination to run wild. Soon Cecilia was calling him and the children in.
"A boy or a girl?" he asked. Not really caring which so long as the baby and Lottie were healthy.
"See for yourself." Cecilia stood back to let them in.
Doc almost let the girls drop when he saw Lottie holding, not one, but two babies. She smiled as she looked at him and the children.
"A boy and a girl. I'd like to call the girl Grace, after Mrs. Lavery but I'm not sure about the boy's name."
John spoke, "can we call him Harry?"
"Sure, son, but why that name?" Doc asked.
"I just like it,” John said in a very matter of fact way. Lottie and Doc looked at each other and agreed.
"Come, children, meet Grace and Harry."
Cecilia knew Mrs. Lavery would be very honored to have the baby named after her. She would ride back to town and deliver the good news. As she stepped away, she watched them. The little girls on the bed peering at the new arrivals. Doc and John standing by the bedside. They were a family brought together through difficult circumstances. Now it was such a happy home.”
“Congratulations, Lottie. God willing, maybe I’ll be next in line for a wonderful husband and children." Cecilia smiled as she left the room to give the family some time alone.
THE END
CECILIA: Brides of Bannack Book 2
CECILIA
Brides of Bannack Book 2
A Western Romance Short Story
Book Description
Sheriff Lance isn't the kind of man Cecilia wants to be with. So why can't she stop thinking about him...
Cecilia has her whole life ahead of her. She refuses to be a pawn in her father's business ventures, especially if it means being married off to a dirty old man. Cecilia has a mind of her own and has decided to become a mail order bride. She finds true love on the American Frontier, only to become widowed soon after. However, she's a woman of strength, and her fierce independent streak enables her to make it on her own as the successful owner of the tea shop in town. She's doing just fine without a man. Or so she tells herself...
Then Sheriff Lance shows up. He thinks Cecilia is beautiful but too independent for his liking. Even if it is attractive the way she outwits the bad guys. Sheriff Lance rubs Cecilia the wrong way with all his chauvinist talk about "a woman's place." She hates to admit, he both intrigues her and frustrates her all at the same time. Who does he think he is - coming to her town thinking he has her all figured out?
A little murder mystery just might be the thing to throw these two opposites together. Can Cecilia help Sheriff Lance solve this mystery and keep the wrong man out of jail? And will they get past their bad first impressions of each other and fall in love?
Copyright 2017 by Kenzo Publishing - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document by either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited, and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter One
Cecilia Aikens opened her eyes. Her head hurt but why was the place so dark? Was there something wrong with her eyes? She felt disorientated, and when she tried to move her hands, they wouldn’t budge. Her legs wouldn't move either. She began to cough. Smoke was filling the confined space. Not one who usually panicked, Cecilia panicked now. She tried to scream out, but her throat closed in with the smoke. She must be in someone's cabin, she told herself. It would explain the darkness. So many of the cabins had underground hideaways in case of attack by the gangs or Indians.
There was no point in fighting it. Cecilia was alone, and she had no one to blame but herself. Why hadn't she listened to the sheriff? It had been such a long time since any man had told Cecilia what to do. Her father was right all along. Her stubbornness was her downfall. She closed her eyes and waited for death. Cecilia knew she had lived more of a life in Bannack than she ever had in New York. She was grateful for that much, at least. New York. It seemed like another lifetime.
***
"Well, Alice, what did you find out? Did David ask for my hand," Cecilia asked impatiently.
"I'm sorry, M'lady, but I couldn't hear. Jenkins came along and sent me on my way," Alice was nervous as she had failed her mistress.
"Were any of the other servants around? Were you able to find anything out? I hope he didn't bungle it," Cecilia was so annoyed. She had no real interest in David Spencer but marrying him would stop her father from trying to control her. She had no interest in being a pawn in one of her father's business adventures.
For the last month, Cecilia had been escorted to parties by David. He was pleasant enough company and came from a wealthy family. She was sure that her father could have no objections to her marrying him. Alice had overheard Cecilia's father talking with an older gentleman six weeks earlier. They were trying to come to some agreement over a land deal. The man had seen Cecilia as she walked in the garden and made his intentions clear. He would sign the agreement if Cecilia married him. That prompted Cecilia into action and her sudden courtship with David.
While her father had mentioned nothing to her, Cecilia had made it her business to marry a man of her own choosing. Cecilia's issue was that David was weak and she had to coerce him into proposing. He wasn't sure. His mama hadn't given her permission. But after four weeks of promises, David had arrived at her home this morning to meet Cecilia's father. "Please, Dear Lord, help this plan to work out," she prayed.
Mary, Cecilia's older sister, burst into the room. "What have you heard?" Cecilia asked.
"It seems, dear sister, that you have been unwise in your choice of suitors. David Spencer has fled the house. Father is laughing at his audacity in seeking your hand in marriage."
Cecilia fumed. What was wrong with the young men in today's world? If only she had been born a man, then she wouldn't be dismissed as some feeble female.
"Moll, what am I to do?"
"We both need to leave this place, but we need money. I’ll tell father that I will marry a man of his choosing. It will give you time to find another way to get out of here." Mary and Cecilia had inherited their father's guile and cunning. Their mother played a very little role in their lives. She was needy and subservient to her husband.
"
But Moll, you can't sacrifice yourself for me! It isn't right."
"For now, you behave. Father will beat you if you try to defy him. My plan is best. We know we must marry otherwise father can still control us. I know you understand this already, but few men can stand up to father."
It was true. None of the sisters' friends ever called upon the house. Their father was known to be a cruel man. There were rumors he had driven his first wife, Mary's mother, to her death. And Cecilia's mother fared no better. Yet, from these unions had come two strong-spirited women. William Sanders wished they had been sons instead of daughters. That would have made them a formidable family. However, his two daughters were attractive which would now pay dividends. They were both used as business enticements. His main concern was in keeping their spirits in check.
William Sanders had found Moll a husband. He was eighty years of age and now Moll, aged twenty was going to agree. She was practical. How long would he live? It couldn't be long, Moll has said. His chest was wheezy, his heart was weak. Moll would be a very wealthy widow and finally be out of the control of her father to do as she pleased.
It surprised Cecilia at how cold and calculating Moll could be. She was more like their father in that regard. Cecilia couldn't bear the idea of any old man coming near her. She wanted freedom. Freedom to make her own choices. Another plan was needed.
She knelt by her bed and began to pray. Cecilia had never prayed with real intention. Mostly her prayers were said off by heart. Today seemed to be a good day to talk to the Lord about what she wanted, rather than what she didn't want.
"Dear Lord, please help me. You have given me a wonderful mind, but I'm afraid it's lost in this body. In this world, there is no value placed upon my mind, only on the physical package you have given me. I want to be able to make my own choices and not have to depend on a man for my livelihood. I wonder if such a world exists. I don't expect you to hear me. Who am I? Other people in this world are worse off than me, but it doesn't mean my pain is any less important. I know I should be grateful. I want for nothing materially. I know if I accept this marriage, my lifestyle would not change, but I have this yearning to be free. I want to be able to feel the wind on my face," Cecilia paused as she heard a knock on her door.