by Jodi Thomas
“Do you have an understanding with Casey?”
Amelia furrowed her brow. “An understanding?”
Clint leveled his eyes on hers. “Does he want to marry you?”
Plucking at a thread on the blanket covering her, she responded honestly. “He told Mrs. Nelson he wanted to marry me.”
“He’s never asked you?” Clint wondered why Casey would tell other people he wanted to marry her if he hadn’t asked her first.
“He told me he would care for me and the girls when Richard died.”
“Are you interested in that proposal?”
“Mrs. Nelson told me I couldn’t afford to turn down any proposal, considering I may never have another.”
Clint noticed she hadn’t given him a yes-or-no response. He thought he should give her time to open up to him about what she really wanted. He wouldn’t push her. Leaving his chair, he held up one finger. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He walked to the front room and scooped up the two puppies and told their mother to come with him. Returning to Amelia’s bedroom, he held out the pups for her to see. “The girls asked for a puppy for Christmas. Now they get two. I can keep their mother.”
Amelia’s eyes lit up and she held out her hands to hold one. “Where did you get them?”
“Doc said their ma showed up on his doorstep and she surprised him with two pups. He’s been looking after them.”
Clint sat on the side of the bed holding one puppy and petting their mother’s head with his free hand. “She’s a good mother. We need to give her a name.”
“She’s beautiful, the color of honey. What about Honey?”
Clint nodded. “I like that.” He stoked Honey’s blond fur. “Do you like that, Honey?”
Honey licked his hand in response. “She approves.”
Amelia laughed. “They’re adorable. The girls will love them, and we can keep Honey if you don’t have time to care for her.”
Clint wanted to say she and the girls could move to his ranch and keep all the dogs together. He grew quiet, thinking about her in his home with the girls and the dogs. In his mind, that would be the next best thing to heaven. “What do you think about . . .”
Ingrid walked into the room and, judging by the look on her son’s face, she thought she had just interrupted something important. Her eyes bounced from Clint to Amelia. “Amelia, Casey is here to see you.”
Clint could hardly believe the man they were just discussing was in his home. He glanced at Amelia to gauge her reaction. Looking down at the nightgown she was wearing, Clint wasn’t particularly thrilled at having a man seeing her in her nightclothes.
Amelia glanced at Clint. Seeing his eyes were on her nightgown, she pulled the blanket up to her neck. “I guess . . . I need to talk to him.”
Ingrid left the room, and Clint stood to leave. “I’ll give you some privacy.” He knew it was going to take all the willpower he could muster to walk out of that room and leave her alone with Casey. Glancing down at Honey, he said, “Come.”
“You don’t have to leave. I want to introduce you.”
Still holding one puppy, Clint sat back down in the chair closest to the bed, leaving the one at the foot of the bed the only place for Casey to sit. Honey sat next to Clint.
Ingrid led Casey into the room and introduced him to Clint. Casey nodded in Clint’s direction, and though Ingrid invited him to have a seat, he headed to Amelia’s bedside.
“I came as soon as I heard you were back.”
Amelia’s eyes darted to Clint. “Clint brought me back when I got sick.”
“Where are the girls?” Casey asked.
“With Tom Nelson.”
“You mean you traveled back alone with him?” Casey jabbed his hat in Clint’s direction with a disapproving frown on his face.
“Yes. I was ill, and we couldn’t risk the girls coming with us.”
“Not very proper if you ask me,” Casey grumbled.
“We didn’t ask you,” Clint stated testily, glaring at Casey. In his estimation, the man should have been more concerned with Amelia’s welfare. He hadn’t even asked her how she was feeling.
Casey briefly glanced Clint’s way, then looked at Amelia. “Did the doc tell you that folks are coming back home? It’s safe now, so I guess I can go get the girls.”
“Clint is leaving in the morning to bring the girls home,” Amelia responded. “He will tell all the families who want to return that they can travel with him.”
“The girls know me,” Casey commented.
Clint stared hard at Casey. “The girls know me and I’m going to get them.”
Amelia thought the men were having a staring contest. “Casey, the girls know Clint, and they trust him. He knows exactly where they are camping.”
Casey wasn’t pleased, but he acquiesced. “If that’s what you want. I’ll pick you up tomorrow in the buckboard.”
Clint couldn’t help himself; he refused to allow this man to dictate what Amelia was going to do. He stood, placed the puppy on top of Amelia’s lap beside the other one and prepared to show Casey to the door—under his own steam or with help, he didn’t care. “She’s going to recuperate right here until I get back.”
Turning his attention on Clint again, Casey said, “That’s kind of your mother to look after her, but it’s not necessary.”
Hoping to change the direction of the conversation, Amelia held up one puppy for Casey to see. “Look at what Clint is giving the girls for Christmas. They’ll each have their own puppy.”
Clint noticed Casey barely spared a glance at the puppies. “You can’t afford to feed those dogs.”
Amelia clutched both puppies to her chest. “It doesn’t take much to feed two puppies, and the girls will love them.”
“They grow up,” Casey said. “Then what?”
Clint told himself not to interfere, but he couldn’t help himself. “It’s my gift to the girls, so I will pay for their food.”
Casey looked over at Clint. “I’d like to speak to Amelia alone, if you don’t mind.”
Clint did mind, but before he voiced that thought, Ingrid walked into the room, accompanied by the doctor. “Gentlemen, I hate to interrupt, but Amelia needs her rest and the doctor needs to examine her. If you’ll come to the kitchen, I just made some fresh coffee.”
Clint leaned over to take the pups from Amelia. “I’ll be leaving at dawn. When I get back, I expect to see you completely recovered.”
Amelia reached out and grabbed his hand. “When will you be back?”
“It’ll probably be Christmas Eve.”
Squeezing his fingers, Amelia whispered, “Promise me you will be careful.”
Clint winked at her. “I’ll be careful.” He noticed she didn’t seem to want to release his hand, and he felt Casey’s eyes on them. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring your girls back to you safe and sound.”
She wanted to tell him that she wanted him to come back to her too, but Casey was standing there listening to their every word. “I trust you.”
Clint briefly considered giving her a kiss that would give Casey something else to think was inappropriate. With both pups in his hands, Clint motioned for Casey to precede him through the door.
Chapter 10
Clint didn’t like the fact that while he was gone, Casey would have a lot of time to visit Amelia and press his case for her to commit to him. He thought Casey might have the advantage, having worked for Amelia’s family for a few years. The girls probably considered him part of their family. But in Clint’s estimation, Casey should have already been working to help Amelia save her ranch. If he hadn’t found the gold, he would have still found a way to help her. On the other hand, who was he to judge? He hadn’t been around when his family needed him the most. Maybe neither of them were worthy of Amelia and the girls.
Once they left the bedroom, Casey declined the cup of coffee, saying he needed to get back to the ranch. Clint walked him to the door, and Casey turned to face him. “You should know I’
m going to marry Amelia.”
Clint stared hard at him as he opened the door. “Does Amelia have something to say about that?”
“She knows. I told her I would stay at the ranch until she returned. We both knew where we were headed when the time was right.”
Clint didn’t like what Casey was insinuating. “Amelia and I have had a lot of conversations, and never once has she mentioned marrying you.”
“I was just letting you know how things are.” Casey settled his hat on his head and walked out the door.
“I think I can figure things out on my own.” Clint closed the door behind him and turned to see Ingrid standing a few feet away, holding a cup of coffee.
“What was that about?”
“You heard enough to know that he thinks Amelia is going to marry him.”
Ingrid handed him the coffee. “Do you have other plans?”
“I think it depends on what Amelia wants. I have a feeling you will be seeing a lot of Casey while I’m gone.”
“You could have let him go get the girls,” Ingrid replied.
“I told the girls I would come back. A promise is a promise.” Clint’s eyes shifted to the door. “Besides, I don’t know if he could handle trouble.”
“Son, I know you think highly of Amelia. Maybe you should tell her how you feel before you leave.”
“We’ll see how things look when I get back. Now, I have a favor to ask of you while I’m gone.” He started to take a drink of the coffee, then hesitated. “Did you or the doc add anything to this coffee?”
* * *
Clint left the house the next morning while everyone slept. He was tempted to wake Amelia to tell her how he felt about her as his mother suggested, but he decided to give her time to think. She’d faced so many changes over the last several months, she needed to recover before she made any hasty decisions.
On the way back to Honey Creek, Clint had nothing but time to think about what he wanted. The very first night on the trail, he realized how much he enjoyed having Amelia with him. That was a first for him. He’d always been a man who traveled alone. There were times he was lonely, but never before had he contemplated marriage.
* * *
Reaching the campsite at Honey Creek, Clint had just set the brake on the wagon when the girls ran to him. He jumped from the wagon and swept them both up in his arms. “I’m happy to see you, girls.”
Both Katie and Annie started talking at the same time, making it difficult for Clint to understand what they were saying, but he was able to hear enough to know someone had rode into their camp and scared them. “Slow down, one at a time.”
“Some men came and stole our gold,” Annie told him breathlessly.
“They didn’t take our gold, but they stole Mr. Newcombe’s and Mr. Nelson’s,” Katie corrected. “Bo and Boone said those men didn’t think the kids had any gold.”
“I’m scared they’ll come back.” Annie’s chin started to quiver.
Clint hugged them tighter. “You don’t have to be afraid now. I’m here.”
“But they had big guns like yours,” Annie told him as tears slid down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry, honey. I’m here. No one is going to hurt you,” Clint promised.
“I’m glad you came back,” Annie whispered in his ear.
“But where’s Ma? In the wagon?” Katie asked.
“I’m taking you home to her. She’s much better and she’s resting at the ranch with my ma. Folks are going back home now and your ma wanted me to bring you home.”
“Are you sure she’s better?” Annie asked.
“I promise, and she can’t wait to see you.”
“You wouldn’t just say that so we won’t cry, would you?” Katie asked.
Clint reached in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch. “I brought this with me so you could give it to her for Christmas.”
Katie took the pouch and pulled out the locket her mother had seen in the mercantile. She held it for Annie to see. “It’s the Christmas present we wanted to buy Ma.”
Annie wiped her tears away and examined the locket. “It’s so pretty. Ma will love that.”
They wrapped their arms around Clint’s neck, giving him the best hug he had ever received.
“Thank you. Ma will be so excited,” Katie said.
“I bet she will wear it every day,” Annie added.
“Is Miss Ingrid okay?” Katie asked Clint.
“Yes, she’s just fine, and she’s looking forward to seeing you two. Now, let’s go talk to Whitt and the boys and tell them the news.”
* * *
Clint and Whitt panned for more gold until darkness descended. Fortunately, they both found several more nuggets.
“I think you’re a good luck charm,” Whitt told Clint. “I didn’t find this much gold the whole time you were gone.”
Clint chuckled. “That’s the first time anyone ever called me a good luck charm.”
Whitt arched his brow. “I don’t know about that, I’d say Amelia thinks you are her lucky charm.”
Clint hoped Whitt was right about that. He wanted to be more than her good luck charm.
Whitt looked at the gold in his hand. “At least I replaced some of what those men stole. I was going to pay on my mortgage to prevent the bank from foreclosing on my land. If those men hadn’t threatened to harm the children, I would have put up a fight. They were the same three men who rode into camp that night before you left.”
Clint knew if he had been there, the situation would have been different. “You couldn’t take a chance with the children. One day the odds will not be in their favor.” Clint figured he had a score to settle with those men for scaring the girls.
* * *
Later that night, after the women and children were asleep, Whitt, Tom Nelson, Ben Wilburn and Clint sat around the fire, discussing returning to La Grange. After everyone agreed to go back home, Clint told them about his run-in with the three robbers on the way to La Grange. “I shot one of them in the hand, and Amelia shot one in the foot.”
Whitt laughed. “I noticed one of those varmints had his hand wrapped, and one was limping. I’d like to run into them one day when the women and children aren’t with us.”
* * *
The next morning the wagons were loaded by daybreak and they were on their way to La Grange. The children were so excited to be going home that they asked dozens of times when they would arrive.
“I’m planning to get there by Christmas Eve,” Clint told them when he rode next to the wagon. Whitt and the boys were riding by his side. “Everyone can spend Christmas Eve with us and have dinner. On Christmas morning we’ll all go to church, and then we’ll go to the hotel to have dinner with all the folks in town.”
“That’ll be like a party,” Annie exclaimed.
“That does sound like a nice way to celebrate Christmas.” Whitt looked at his boys. “Don’t you two think that sounds like fun?”
Bo and Boone both nodded their agreement.
“Will we have a real Christmas dinner?” Bo asked.
“Son, your mind is always on food,” Whitt teased.
Clint laughed, thinking about the first night he met the boys. Bo had asked him for food then. “We’ll have a big dinner.”
* * *
The first night they made camp, Clint was talking with the girls when Katie asked him if Casey was still at their ranch.
“I met Casey when he came to the ranch to visit your ma. I imagine you’ll be happy to see him again.”
“I guess.” Katie cast a quick glance at Annie.
“Casey told me I was too old to have Lucy.”
Clint frowned. “I’m sure he was teasing.”
Annie shook her head back and forth. “No, he wasn’t.”
“I don’t think Casey likes kids too much. He never talks to us,” Katie added. “Grandpa hired Casey because he needed help on the farm.”
Annie touched his arm. “If you married our ma, we would hav
e you all the time.”
* * *
Most nights, the girls fell asleep in Clint’s arms chatting away about Christmas, and how they couldn’t wait to give Amelia her gift. After they would drift off to sleep, Clint would lie awake thinking about what Annie said about him marrying Amelia. He figured Casey was visiting Amelia while he was gone; possibly he’d even asked for her hand. Like the girls, Clint couldn’t wait to get home.
Days later, on Christmas Eve, they arrived at Clint’s ranch as the sun was dipping below the horizon.
Ingrid, Amelia and John walked to the front porch to greet them. Clint lifted Katie and Annie from the wagon and they ran to Amelia. Clint hugged his mother and shook hands with the doc.
Amelia released the girls, ran to Clint and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you for bringing them home.”
Clint held her for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of her in his arms and appreciating her greeting. “They were anxious to get home to you.” When she released him, he looked her up and down, thinking she looked more beautiful than ever. “You look like you’ve fully recovered.”
She gave him a smile. “I feel wonderful. And your mother and I have been busy cooking. It’s been so nice spending time with her.”
Clint wanted to ask how many times Casey had visited, but the girls were listening to their conversation.
Ingrid welcomed the guests and shared their plans for the evening. “Children, after dinner I want all of you to help decorate the Christmas tree.”
“Are we going to pop some corn to string?” Boone asked.
“Ma wouldn’t have a tree without corn.” Clint kissed the top of his mother’s head. “I’ll get the horses settled before dinner.”
* * *
Dinner ended, and the children helped decorate the Christmas tree the doctor had chopped down the day before. When the tree was finished, sleeping arrangements were made for the night. Before they retired, Ingrid told them the plans for Christmas Day. “Everyone, get some sleep. We will have a quick breakfast in the morning, and then we’ll ride to town for church service. Afterward, we’ll have a big dinner at the hotel. Everyone is bringing a dish because they only have one cook at the hotel right now. Amelia and I have cooked several dishes to take for all of us.”