CHAPTER FOUR
Eulalia sensed Nicander’s presence seconds before the doorbell rang. She inhaled a deep breath and did her best to still the butterflies taking flight in her stomach.
He’s just coming to see about you, she told herself sternly. He’s a friend, a very good friend.
And a married man, the other voice, the one she wished would stay quiet, whispered. Make sure you remember that.
She spent most of her night in prayer, asking the Lord to help her deal with…whatever this was that arced between them. Whatever it was…attraction or something baser…she had to suppress it.
The doorbell chimed. Her pulse leapt like a flock of birds taking flight.
“Do you think that’s Uncle Nic?” Winston asked, hopping out of his seat and scrambling to the door faster than Eulalia could tell him to wait.
“I hope it is,” Tabitha said, sliding out of her chair and following her brother.
Eulalia could hear the door open and then the screen. Both children went on excitedly. “Uncle Nic! Did you come to eat breakfast with us?”
His deep voice muttered something to the children. She used the brief respite to calm herself as best as she could before he entered into the kitchen.
She lifted her head from swirling the pot of hot steaming grits and met his blue-gray gaze. Smiling, she said. “Good morning, Nicander.”
“Good morning, Eulalia.”
He filled the room. Every inch of him seemed to take up space, making the already cramped kitchen even smaller. He’d taken off his hat so the sunlight which spilled through the window landed on his dark blond hair. The clean brown shirt strained against the breadth of his chest and his trousers tapered to the length of his long, powerful legs.
Why did she feel so breathless? Tearing her gaze from him, she saw the way Winston gazed up at him, his brown head tilted so far back she thought his neck would snap at the angle. Tabitha rested comfortingly as he held her up, her head resting on his shoulder in complete trust.
Would she could rest her head on his shoulder with such ease.
Flames scorched her cheeks and she turned her attention back to the pot of grits. “Did you eat yet, Nicander?”
“I haven’t. I wanted to see if I could eat breakfast with you before I go.”
Her head jerked up along with the surprised, sad gasp of both of the children. “You’re leaving?” they all said together simultaneously.
Nicander swallowed. “Yes, I have to leave. Something’s come up and I have to take care of it.”
Something to do with Guinevere. Although he didn’t say, Eulalia knew it instinctively.
“Are you coming back, Uncle Nic?”
Please say yes, Eulalia thought.
“I don’t know, monkey,” he told Winston as he ruffled his hair. “It may take some time but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Are you going to fight some more fires, Uncle Nic?” Tabitha asked.
“Yes…and no, Tabby.” He spoke in a gruff undertone. Eulalia understood it to mean he’d be fighting more than one kind of fire. One of nature and one with Guinevere.
For the first time, Eulalia was curious about this wife of Nicander’s she’d never met. When Josiah had told her six years ago that his best friend had married, he’d been happy but a little sad that he’d not been able to attend their wedding.
“Feels kinda bad I can’t be there for his wedding, Eulalia,” Josiah had remarked. “He was there when I married you. Seventeen years old and still wet behind the ears but we both stood there in front of God and our families when you and I said our vows. Doesn’t feel right for me not to be there with him.”
“Did he say why?”
Josiah had frowned at the letter. “Not really. Just that he’d be married by the time I got this letter.”
“Josiah,” she’d gone over to where her husband had sat in front of the hearth, enjoying the fire. “You don’t think he had to marry her, do you?”
A great big laugh had erupted from his belly. “Nic? Nic would rather slice his arm in two before he did something like that.” A twinkle had entered Josiah’s eyes as his mirth died away. “Grandfather Clyford would probably beat him with that gold bible of his if he touched a woman before he married her. His father, too.”
“Yes and no?” Tabitha’s voice shook her out of the memory. “Which is it?”
“Not every fire is one that burns,” Nicander continued to say elusively. “But when I return, I may have a gift for both of you.”
“What kind of gift?” Tabitha asked, intrigued.
Nicander grinned and gave the child a quick kiss on the cheek before setting her on the floor. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
The children dragged him to the table, trying their best in pleading and cajoling voices to make Nicander tell them what their gift would be. He outsmarted their sorrow by giving them some anticipation for his return. But Tabitha and Winston were children who could be distracted. She wasn’t.
How was it possible for her to depend on Nicander in such a ready fashion? Watching him from under her eyelids as he interacted with the children, she once again could see how easily he’d fit into their lives although he was as different from Josiah as night and day.
If Josiah were still here, he’d come to the table, his booming voice rattling the house with its ferocity. He’d toss Tabitha into the air as if she were a rag doll but he would catch her gently with his hands. Winston he’d challenge to an arm wrestle or some such sport, insisting the boy become strong so he could protect his family someday and then let him win the game so as not to discourage him.
Nicander’s quiet intensity had a strength of its own. It wasn’t outward as Josiah’s had been. Instead, it uplifted her on the day she’d gone back to the house after three weeks of being away. Nicander had said little just stood by her side as she took in the devastation around her.
When the agony of her loss had overwhelmed her, he’d wrapped her in those strong arms while her tears drenched his shirt. He’d no words of comfort, but she’d been soothed by his silent sentry.
“I’m hungry, Mama!” Winston shouted, the sound so reminiscent of Josiah’s demands that she had to blink the sudden tears away.
Eulalia served breakfast – bowls of steaming grits with butter, slices of ham, and pancakes with dark, rich molasses. When she set the last of the food down, she heard the door open up. Without even having to guess, she knew who had entered her home and set another place at the table.
“Aunt Lulu!” the children squealed ready to jump from the table until a sharp bark from Eulalia kept them in place.
“Hello, my loves,” Eustacia greeted with a strained smile.
Eulalia took one glance at her and then pressed her lips together to keep from speaking her thoughts. Her sister had obviously spent the evening at the Lucky Lady saloon in the town participating in her favorite past time.
Gambling till all hours of the night.
“Are you going to eat with us too, Aunt Lulu?” Tabitha screeched.
A perverse sense of pleasure went through Eulalia as she saw her twin wince in pain.
“My darling love, please don’t shout. And yes, I’ll eat with you.” She turned her red-rimmed silver eyes to her. “Lolly, please tell me you have a pot of coffee.”
Eulalia nodded toward the end of the stove where the pot sat warming. Eustacia dived toward it as if her life depended on it.
“Late evening, Eustacia?” Nicander asked innocently enough, but she could hear the smirk in his voice.
Her sister gave him a nasty look as she poured a mug of the brew. When she took a sip, the tension on her face eased away to one of relief.
Eulalia’s gaze darted back to Nicander. Their eyes met in shared mirth. He grinned and she grinned back.
“Tell me, Nic. When are you leaving?” Eustacia asked, and with those words, siphoned the moment of every ounce of joy.
Eulalia bent her head. She couldn’t depend on him, no matt
er how much she wanted to. He had a wife to take care of.
Nic saddled up his horse in front of the Silverpines Inn, sad to be leaving the town. Breakfast with Eulalia and the children had been wonderful, and he could have easily sat there for several more hours, enjoying his time with them.
Most of the conversation centered around the arrival of the circus. The children had been wild with excitement at the thought of the circus, and he was glad they had something to distract from the numerous turns’ life had thrown at them.
But Guinevere needed him. He had to go to her.
The Chinaman that had been sent by Wu Li waited near him although Nic had told the man to leave and return at his own leisure. “Wu Li say I come back with you.”
“Why?”
The man shrugged dismissively.
He’d just lifted his foot to place it in the stirrup so he could mount his horse when he heard his name being called.
“Mr. Montgomery!”
A man’s voice, one he wasn’t familiar with, echoed from down the street. Surprised, he turned around to see a couple of men coming in his direction.
From the bright star on the chest of the one, he knew this was the marshal he’d heard so much about from Tabitha and Winston, Alexzander Sewell. From their accounts, the man could outshoot anyone, climb mountains, and wrangle bad men with one hand while drinking coffee in the other. He also had an Indian brother.
He seemed more legend than reality as the children spoke of him. Yet, Nic sized the man up as he drew closer. Although not intimidated by the presence of the marshal, Nic could tell this man demanded respect from whoever he crossed paths with.
Next to him was a man of similar height, with a beard and a likewise manner.
When they came to him, they greeted the Chinese man with a quick nod of the head and then said, “Sorry to delay you, Mr. Montgomery, but had we known you were leaving we would have reached out to you sooner.”
“Marshal.” He shook his outstretched hand and then shook the man’s next to him. “And you are?”
“Luther Garrison, mayor of Silverpines.”
“I see.” Although Nic really didn’t see.
“Seeing as you’re leaving, Mr. Montgomery, we’ll get right to the point. From what I’ve heard from Tabitha and Winston, you’re a fireman, is that correct?”
“The little monkeys. But that’s right, marshal,” Nic answered, “Been a fireman for about seven years now.”
“The town council has been talking about a lot of things as we try to rebuild Silverpines from what happened earlier this year,” Mayor Garrison said, folding his arms across his chest. “In one of those meetings, it came to our attention that we need to have our own fire brigade to protect our town in the event of a fire.”
“We lost a great many men and although more are coming into town, we need to have someone who understands the sort of measures we need to take to protect ourselves.”
“I can understand that, gentlemen but I’m not quite sure what you’re asking me.”
“Quite plainly, we’re reaching out to you to see if you’d be interested in being the fire chief of our town.”
Nic blinked. “Fire chief, eh?” It was the last thing he expected to hear.
“Hmm,” Mayor Garrison grunted. “See, as we rebuild, we need to take precautions. Of course, anyone can go and grab a bucket and throw water onto a flame but I’m willing to bet that there’s more to it than that.”
“You’d win, mayor.”
“Can you give us your credentials. You say you have seven years of experience, so tell us about that.”
“Are you interviewing me for the position?”
Marshal Sewell hunched. “Ain’t nothing wrong with making sure a man knows what’s he doing. After all, our recommendations did come from a ten-year-old and an eight-year-old.”
“Well,” Nic leaned against his horse, “I can tell you this: I know a lot about fire because I was born in fire.”
“Come again?” both of the men said, eyes wide with incredulity.
“Exactly as I said, gentlemen.” Then he gave a smirk. “Not hellfire if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Both of the men laughed and the air relaxed around them. “But, to be clear, I was born on the day of the great Chicago Fire. Even though I wasn’t anywhere near that great city.”
“Indeed?”
“I come from a small town in Michigan called Holland. Settled by the Dutch. On the day that Mrs. O’Leary nearly burned down Chicago, a fire also started in my town.”
Marshal Sewell frowned. “The fire spread that far?”
Nice shook his head. “No. From what my grandfather said, the summer had been extremely dry. No rain or anything. I was born on that day. My parents and grandparents had to run for their lives, taking their valuables with them and hiding them in the sands along Black Lake.”
“I remember hearing about it, I believe. It happened back in ’71, didn’t it?” Mayor Garrison asked with a lift of his eyebrow.
“Sure did. The way my folks tell it, I was born with the cold waters of Black Lake in front of me and a wall of fire behind me. So you can kind of say I was born to fight fires. When I was five years old, another fire nearly burned up our town again.”
A shadow fell across his memories. “That one I remember more than the first one. My mother swallowed a lot of smoke trying to protect us and for a while, it didn’t look too good but the Lord took care of her.”
“Good to hear,” the lawman said.
“Ever since, I figured I better learn everything I could about fire so as to prevent it from hurting the people I love. I was on the fire brigade in my home town and then I moved to Chicago and worked under the good men there to help grow my education in fighting fires.”
Nic straightened from the warmth of the horse. “So I guess you can say I know something about fire. I’ve lived in several towns since then and have always volunteered my time to help with putting out fires.”
The mayor and the marshal gave each other a glance. “Would you be interested in being the fire chief of our town? We’d, of course, be willing to pay even though it won’t be much.”
He held up his hand. “Let me stop you, gentlemen. Thank you for the offer, but I won’t be able to accept any sort of position in that capacity right now. I’ve…personal things to see to that require my full attention at this time.”
“I see.”
Nic wanted to accept the job offer though. To be in the same town with Eulalia and check in on her and the children would go one step further in ensuring the well-being of the family Josiah left behind.
Who was he trying to kid? He wanted to stay in Silverpines because Eulalia was there. Wrong as it was, he couldn’t ignore that need to be near her.
Guinevere’s face rose up once more. He had to go to her. She was his wife. She was the one that should gain all of his attention. All of his heart. All of everything he had to give.
“And on that note, I do have to get going.”
“Looks like you aren’t going too far, Mr. Montgomery.” Marshal Sewell eyed the horse. “You going over to New Harbor or Wickwell Springs perhaps?”
Nic declined to answer the direct question. It wasn’t anyone’s business where he was going. Instead he said. “Why do you ask, marshal?”
“Well, if I can persuade you, once you finish your business, maybe you can come back to Silverpines and inspect the place. See what we can do to shore up against a fire. Maybe you can’t be our fire chief, but we can certainly benefit from your expertise.”
Nic pursed his lips. Depending on what Wu Li had to tell him about Guinevere, he should be able to come back by the end of the month and perform an inspection of the town as the marshal requested.
And, he’d have a reason to stop by and see, no, check to see how Eulalia and the children were doing.
After all, he’d promised Josiah he’d looked after them.
Remember, that’s all you’re going to do. See about th
eir well-being
“I should be back in about two weeks. I’ll be happy to do as you ask.” He glanced back at the Chinese man who was set to accompany him. “Are you ready?”
“Yes. You follow me.
By the time he came back from Wickwell Springs, particularly after being in Guinevere’s presence, the attraction for Eulalia, which he would only admit to himself, would be gone. He was certain of it
CHAPTER FIVE
Two weeks later
October 1899
“Uh oh,” Winston warned in a low voice.
“What is it?” Tabitha asked, hugging her doll close.
“That mean lady is here.”
Eulalia, who had been listening with a half ear to their conversation while she went down the list of items she still needed, gave a reproving click of her tongue. “Winston! You know better than that. You’re not supposed to speak about people in that way.”
A voice she immediately recognized said behind her, “I am so surprised to see you about, Mrs. Pemberlay.”
Eulalia froze and then her eyes rolled in the back of her head.
Unless its people like this one.
She pretended to be engrossed in the contents on the shelves while she counted to twelve. Ten never seemed to do the trick.
The last person she wanted to meet in the mercantile was Widow Wallace. But she had to come to get a few more last-minute supplies for the arrival of the Brackenberg Traveling Troupe and Circus. From the last communication, they would be in town within the week.
As word had gotten around, a kind of frenzy had come over Silverpines. The circus had never come to their town and after all that had happened, everyone was looking forward to it.
“Mrs. Pemberlay?”
“Mama,” Winston tugged on her arm. “Mean widow—”
Eulalia glared at her son with enough heat to make him trip over his words. “I mean, Widow Wallace is calling you.”
“Thank you, Winston,” Eulalia hissed through her teeth, thinking she’d have to have a talk with her son about watching what he said. And go over signals they could all use whenever the woman was around so they could avoid her at any cost.
Wanted- Fire Chief Page 4