“Thank you,” Wally said, looking over at the basket of neatly folded items. “What do I owe?”
“The ticket is there on top. You can pay in the morning when I pick up more linens,” Vera said, her gaze fixed on him in speculation. Did she see some small indiscretion she could use against him?
Wally had never been this uncomfortable with a woman before. A woman he found interesting turning out to probably being his brother’s widow. And the way Vera looked at him made him feel she was assessing his every move. Was she searching for something?
“Vera, I assume Mr. Daniels told you he is investigating the mining accident. And that he’s working for one of the miner’s family,” Willa stated, placing a steaming cup in front of Wally.
Grimacing for a split second, Wally took a drink from the cup, spewing out the hot liquid.
“Damn!” he exclaimed, breathing deeply. “Oh boy, ’bout burned my tongue off with that. Excuse my language, ladies.”
“Serves you right not paying more attention,” Vera snorted.
“You’ll have to excuse my manners. I’ve been on the trail too long with nothing but myself for company,” Wally apologized, blowing into the steaming cup. “However, my mama wouldn’t think that a good excuse for bad manners.”
“I agree with your mother,” Vera whispered, starting to push away from the table.
“You aren’t leaving on my account, are you?” Wally asked, afraid he’d lost this chance to talk with Vera about Thomas. She seemed a bit nervous being around him. Did she know something?
“Vera, please don’t go. I was going to ask you to stay for supper,” Willa said. “I’ve got chicken that is ready for frying. And there are Shadow Potatoes in the icebox as well.”
“I would love to, but it will be late by the time I start for home,” Vera protested, leaning on the back of the chair.
“If you’d be willing, I can escort you home safely,” Wally offered. His reason was a bit selfish. He didn’t want to lose an opportunity for a relaxing meal with two women who just might offer up information about his brother.
“That is very kind of you, Mr. Daniels,” Vera said, gripping the chair tighter. “I’m sure my late husband would be grateful if you saw me home safely.”
Visions of Thomas being laid to rest into a dark hole in the ground flashed through her mind. The last kiss she’d given him before they sealed the coffin shut. The whispered promise of loving him forever.
Just when she thought those painful memories were being replaced by happiness, this man appeared and upset her fragile emotions. What was it about him that put her on edge? That made her feel more unbalanced than usual?
“I’m sorry for your loss, and if I caused you more sadness,” Jack said, standing beside her, a hand on her elbow. “I think Willa is right, you should stay for dinner. I hope you do agree to it.”
“It’s settled then!” Willa exclaimed, a bit too overjoyed.
“I haven’t agreed to stay, Willa,” Vera protested, sitting back in the chair. She was exhausted, and she didn’t want to argue about whether or not she was going to stay for supper. Yet, what would it hurt if she took advantage of Willa’s generous offer? Nothing. Other than maybe bruising Vera’s fragile ego of looking as if she wasn’t able to care for herself. Which included making her own meals.
“I’ll leave you ladies to discuss supper,” Jack said, bending to pick up the basket. “Either way, I’ll be happy to walk you home, Vera.”
Vera watched as Jack grasped the basket easily with one hand. He smiled at her then strolled out of the kitchen.
Her entire body overheated, watching him stride out of sight with the ease and elegance of a well-bred man. Why she had been thinking him familiar made less sense to her now than it did this afternoon. Someone like him would never have crossed her path. Not even on her family’s ranch where people had come and gone constantly.
“That was very gentlemanly of Mr. Daniels to offer to see you home, don’t you think so?” Willa asked, placing chicken into a sizzling pan one piece at a time. “Jack seems likable, in my opinion.”
“I don’t know what you’re up to, Willa, but you can stop,” Vera humphed, silently agreeing with the assessment of one Jack Daniels. After several minutes, the crackling of the chicken and the unmistakable delicious smell of fried breading assaulted her senses. Her stomach rumbled in response, causing Willa to chuckle. It had been a while since Vera had had fried chicken, and Willa’s was the best in town.
“I think your little one is speaking for you, Vera,” Willa noted, transferring sizzling pieces of chicken and potato crisps onto a platter. “Would you mind setting the dining table?”
Vera picked up plates, silverware, and napkins and then placed them on the dining table. She placed one set at the head of the table where she thought Willa would be sitting. Then the other two sets on either side. This way, Vera wasn’t next to Jack Daniels, yet she’d be able to watch him without much speculation from Willa.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like the man. She didn’t know him. And she felt that although she shouldn’t trust him, for some reason she did. Even if she had a feeling he was hiding something. Something she might not want to know.
Willa mentioned he was working for one of the miner’s families but didn’t say which one. She knew it wasn’t her Thomas because he had none that she knew of.
She prayed it would not be Elizabeth Hamilton as she’d found happiness again with Auggie Raines. And the others in her little block of widows, with the exception of one, were all working to keep their homes just as she was.
They had all found respectable employment with the exception of Stella. Poor Stella worked as a maid cleaning the rooms above the Heartbreak Saloon.
Working at Nana’s wasn’t glamorous. In fact, it was hard, exhausting work, but at least it wasn’t cleaning up after drunken cowboys and their “ladies.”
A soft movement in her tummy reminded her there was food to be brought out, and it was time she fed not only herself but her little one.
Twenty minutes later, Wally stood halfway down the stairs, watching Vera. If she is Thomas’s widow, what was he going to do? She was too young to take on motherhood all alone. And was there a doctor in town in case something happened to endanger the child—or Vera?
He’d have no choice but to take her back to Ohio. If she’d go, that was. He would just have to convince her or suffer the wrath of his mother. If she was Thomas’s widow.
If not, he’d still offer to take care of her. Marry her, if only for the child.
Drawing in a deep breath, he put a smile on his face and jogged the rest of the way down the stairs.
“My, but something smells good,” he exclaimed, reaching the table as Vera and Willa placed platters of steaming fried chicken and potatoes down. “I haven’t had fried chicken and potatoes in a good long time.”
“There’s plenty, so eat until you’ve had your fill.” Willa smiled, giving him a look of something between humor and suspicion and warning.
They ate in silence for the better part of fifteen minutes. Wally felt the scrutiny with which the two women watched him. They watched his every movement, their gazes raking him over. He felt like a circus oddity.
“I don’t believe I’ve had fried chicken this tasty before.” Wally smiled, raising his glass of tea. “My compliments to the chef!”
“Willa is a wonder in the kitchen,” Vera raised her glass as well. “Her only rival is Mrs. Hall over at the Grand Hotel.”
“Humph! Mary Hall has no idea how to fry chicken!” Willa announced, laughing. “But you are right, Vera. Mary does set a mighty fine table.”
“That may be so, but I’ll not take a meal at any other table than this one while I’m here,” Wally assured, picking a drumstick clean.
“Vera, what are your plans now?” Wally hoped to ferret out even the slightest bit of information before delving into finding his brother. Possibly by asking a few personal questions, the tension between them
would subside. It would make gathering the needed information easier.
“I’m not sure what you mean, Mr. Daniels.” Vera’s back straightened in a defensive position. “I have a good job and a place to live; what more do I need?”
“I only meant, now that you are alone and with child,” Wally began, immediately seeing his mistake written on Vera’s face. “I’m sorry if it was to be a secret, but if one looks close enough—”
“How dare you take such liberty as to ‘look close enough,’ Mr. Daniels!” Vera accused, her eyes blazing.
“I truly am sorry. I meant no disrespect, Vera,” Wally backtracked, hoping to reclaim some lost ground. He never could beat around the bush for very long during an investigation. He liked to get to the heart of the matter. Unfortunately, it was his reputation and pride, which may be damaged if he didn’t ease up on Vera.
“Mrs. Baldwin to you!” Vera spat, fiery anger in her eyes.
Wally swallowed then sat back in his chair. “Was Thomas Baldwin your husband?”
“Yes, what is it to you?” Vera asked, fiddling with her fork.
“Didn’t I mention to you that Jack was hired by the Baldwins to find out what happened to their son in the mining accident?” Willa asked.
Seeing an opportunity to retain his undercover status, Wally nodded in agreement. “Yes, I’ve been going all over town trying to find out if Thomas Baldwin had left a family behind.”
“You have the wrong person. My husband, my late husband, had no family, Mr. Daniels,” Vera proclaimed, her eyes brimming with tears. “He would have told me if he had.”
Wally took a breath and sat quietly for a minute to formulate his words. He didn’t want to tarnish the memory of Thomas in Vera’s mind. And he didn’t want in any way to offend his newly discovered sister-in-law.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll take these things into the kitchen and clean up,” Willa announced, gathering the near-empty platters and soiled plates. “I’ll leave the tea, however.”
Wally glanced at Willa as she cleared away the table. Once she had disappeared into the hall, Wally leaned toward the table. He wanted to be as close to his sister-in-law as possible.
“Vera., Mrs. Baldwin,” he began, his hands clammy with fear and anticipation. “If your husband is Thomas Baldwin of Ohio, then he is the man I’ve been searching for information about.”
8
Vera fought back the tears stinging her eyes. If what Jack Daniels said was true, why then would her late husband lie to her? To tell her he had no family. That she was all he had in the world to love.
“Even if my Thomas was from Ohio, that doesn’t make him family to the people you work for,” Vera insisted, hoping she was wrong and Mr. Daniels was right—hat she had a family she could turn to in her time of need with a baby on the way.
“Tell me if this is your late husband,” Jack said, pulling a photograph from his wallet then sliding it across the table.
In a single glance, Vera knew that the man in the photograph was a younger version of her late husband. Her heart raced, and she felt lightheaded as her fingers reached out for the paper likeness.
“Yes, this is—was—my late husband,” Vera choked out through the sobs threatening to surface. “Where did you get this from?”
“From…his mother,” Jack said so quietly she barely heard him but did notice the hesitation.
Her gaze left the picture to the sadness in Jack’s eyes. Was he always so emotionally attached to a case he was assigned to as he was to this one? Or was there something he wasn’t telling her”
She was afraid to hear about the family she didn’t know. It would be like losing Thomas all over and having to bury him twice. That kind of pain once in a person’s life was more than enough for even the strongest person.
But for their unborn child, she had to know the story about the father of the life growing within her.
“Mr. Daniels, if you are still willing to escort me home, I’d be grateful,” Vera said quietly. “I must be going, but not until after I’ve spoken with Willa.”
“I would be honored, Vera,” Jack said, standing as Vera pushed away from the table then stood.
“Please wait here for me. I won’t be but a moment,” Vera assured then turned to go to the kitchen. Every ounce of her body trembled with each step she took.
Thomas had a family? A family he’d denied? Why? Why would someone deny their own flesh and blood?
“Vera, what’s wrong?”
“I…I…” Vera stood at the table; her blood suddenly ran cold as if someone had walked across Thomas’s grave. “Mr. Daniels has informed me that Thomas had a family. A family he walked away from.
“He has a picture of Thomas,” Vera cried, unable to hold back the tears any longer. “Why wouldn’t the man I loved tell me about his family?”
“I don’t know, Vera,” Willa said softly. “The only one who may have the answer to that question is Jack Daniels.”
Wally paced the parlor as he waited for Vera. His sister-in-law. The woman he found attractive, and now he had to put that attraction aside. At least until she came to terms with why Thomas left his family. Even then, how could he pursue his dead brother’s wife without blackening his good name and honor?
And should he tell her who he really was? That Jack Daniels was an alias. That, in fact, Wallace Baldwin, younger brother of Thomas, was his real name?
No, one surprising piece of information at a time. He didn’t want to cause unwanted stress on Vera or the baby. His niece or nephew.
“Mr. Daniels. Jack?” Vera’s sweet voice still edged with the tears he knew she’d shed, called to him. “I’m ready to go home now.”
Wally nodded, opened the front door of the boardinghouse, and waited as Vera walked out ahead of him, a slight waddle in her gait. It wouldn’t be long, and she’d be walking like a duck with her little duckling showing. He trotted down the steps, offering his hand as she started down the wooden planks.
“Let me help you,” Wally said softly, his skin tingling from her touch. “There’s no need to give me directions, Vera.”
“Follow the path past the church and to the south,” Vera said anyway, walking beside him with her hand at her side.
“Alright,” Wally said, knowing how long it would take. Would he have enough time to start telling Vera about Thomas and the family he left behind? About a man she didn’t know?
Would she tell him about the brother he’d lost years ago? How much had Thomas changed? How had they met?
“Thank you,” Vera said, drawing in a breath, slowing her step.
Her hand covering her growing belly didn’t get past him. He would make sure his pace matched hers and was easy on both her and the baby. Before long, the walk may become taxing on her, then what was she going to do?
“It’s not too late to hire a horse and carriage if it will be easier for you,” Wally offered, worried Vera would tire herself out.
“I am fine,” Vera informed her gaze straight ahead. “I have been walking this path every day for months now, no reason I shouldn’t now.”
“I am only concerned—”
“My welfare is none of your concern, Mr. Daniels.” Vera sighed, her shoulders visibly relaxing. “I’m sorry. I appreciate you looking out for me. It’s not necessary as I will only have myself to depend on once you are gone, Mr. Daniels.”
“Can we dispense with the formality?” Wally asked, wanting badly to tell her who he was. That her welfare was indeed his concern. That she was safe as long as he was here with her. That he’d look after her and the baby, at least until he got her home to his parents.
Longer, if she allowed him.
“All right, if you insist, Jack,” Vera said a bit sarcastically. “Tell me what you know about Thomas’s family.”
“I will, after you tell me how you met your late husband,” Wally countered, not willing to break her heart with the tale of his mother’s grief just yet.
“Thomas rode onto my father’s
land, looking for work. It was the winter of ’88, six months before my twentieth birthday. I fell in love with him the moment I saw him.” Vera smiled as the memory crossed her mind, reminding Wally he was an outsider.
“He rode in tall on the back of a big bay gelding, looking like the trail dust was embedded under his skin. But under all the trail grit, I saw the kindness in his blue eyes when he smiled. Father hired him on, treated him like the son he never had, then gave his permission for Thomas and me to marry. We lived happily with my parents before coming here.”
“When did you come to Blessings Valley?”
“Two years after we married, we set out for what Thomas said was a better life. We arrived just before Christmas and the mining accident several months ago,” Vera said, tears in her voice.
“I’m so sorry, Vera.” Wally reached for her to soothe her aching heart.
“Don’t touch me! I don’t need your pity,” Vera said softly through the tears. “Nor do I want it.”
Wally ignored her declaration, gathering her in his arms. “I’m here now, Vera,” he whispered, his heart going out to her. Here in his arms, she became more to him than his sister-in-law. He held her close until the sobs subsided and her body stopped trembling.
Vera folded herself into Jack’s arms and let the tears freely come. Tears for the loss of her husband. Tears for her fatherless child. Tears for what would never be. And selfish tears for herself.
“I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby, Vera.” Jack’s spoken promise sounded distant as if being carried on the wind.
She looked up into his eyes. The same sapphire blue as Thomas’s, only beneath their depths was a kindness she’d not seen in her deceased husband in many months before the accident.
“I think we should rest awhile,” Jack suggested, loosening his arms from around her.
“The church,” she whispered, feeling the need to be near God.
Vera (Widows of Blessings Valley Book 2) Page 6