“What’s your friend’s name?” Colten asked.
“Susan,” Annabelle said. “She married a man named Michael. I don’t remember the last name.”
“Susan and Michael Clark are good friends of mine. They are building a house over there.” Colten pointed toward a brick structure that was nearly finished and Annabelle searched the people that milled about it for any sign of Susan.
“Is she there?” Annabelle asked. “I need to talk to her.”
“I’m sure she’s either there, or at the church teaching school.”
Annabelle looked back down at Lester then up to Colten. “Should we help him up? Make sure he’s all right?”
“I’ll come back for him once we get you to where you need to be. I’m only sorry he was bothering you when he showed up. He kept raving about some woman he paid for…” Colten’s voice trailed off and Annabelle watched as he seemed to be putting things together. “You said you came out here to marry someone?”
Annabelle nodded, feeling the weight of that decision settle heavily on her.
“You are here to marry Lester?” Colten asked. “Why on earth would you pick him?”
Annabelle’s nerves and fear and concern turned to frustration and she glared at the man in front of her. “How dare you judge me? Everything he said in his letters sounded legitimate. There was nothing that could have told me he was unsavory.”
“What kind of agreement did you come to?” Colten asked. “When will the marriage take place?”
“That was to be decided after I arrived.”
“But you came out here intending to marry the man? Did you have any kind of backup plan?”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t need a backup plan,” Annabelle said. “But I knew Susan lived here, and she told me I would have a friend in her if I needed. Apparently I need it. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll gather my trunks and find her.”
“Hold on,” Colten said. He turned his head to the side and let out a whistle. A young boy carrying a crate from the back of the train lifted his head. “Matthew, is Mrs. Clark at the schoolhouse?”
“I think so,” Matthew said.
“Will you keep an eye on Lester? He’s gonna be out for a bit. Just check on him in between your crates? I’ll be back for the boxes in a bit. ”
“Will do,” Matthew said.
Colten took Annabelle’s arm, surprising her at the familiarity, but even more surprising was that she wasn’t bothered at all by his touch. Unless of course the pounding in her heart and the flutter in her stomach meant anything.
“Which cases are yours?” Colten asked.
Annabelle pointed out her trunk and the other small case that had been set to the side. Colten took the large trunk after handing her the small case then led her down the stairs to his waiting wagon. It wasn’t that far to walk on her own, but it would have been difficult with the trunk. Having him take it in the wagon would make things so much easier, but she felt like she was a huge inconvenience to him.
“You really don’t have to do this,” Annabelle said. “I can look for Susan on my own.”
“We need to get you out of sight of Lester. Don’t want him telling anyone he paid for you. That will cause all kinds of problems.”
“He didn’t pay for me,” Annabelle said. “But he did send some money to help with my trip here.”
“Lester will see that as him owning you. Why would you take money from a stranger?”
“That’s not really your concern is it? And if you’re going to be this unpleasant about it, I’d appreciate it if you’d take my things off your wagon and just be on your way.”
Colten shook his head, but didn’t keep talking. Instead he just helped her up into the wagon seat without even consulting her, then snapped the reins and led the horses down the long dusty street. He stopped at a red brick church and hurried up the steps, telling Annabelle to stay put and before she could decide whether she wanted to get off the wagon just to spite him, he’d spoken to someone inside and came bounding back down and onto the wagon again, flicking the reins once more.
He guided the horses over to the unfinished building with all the construction happening and called out to one of the men there. “Michael, where’s Susan?”
“She’s around back.” The man, heavily muscled from constant physical labor, looked at Annabelle with a questioning gaze but didn’t say anything else before Colten moved the horses once more and directed them around the building. As soon as the wagon cleared the edge and the people in the back came into view, Annabelle stood up with relief to see Susan.
Before she could call out to her, the wagon stopped suddenly and Annabelle lost her balance, falling backward and landing directly on Mr. Howard’s lap.
CHAPTER TWO
Colten dropped the reins with one hand and gripped Annabelle tightly around the middle to keep her from falling even further, but released her almost immediately when he realized how wonderful she felt in his arms. The second his hands were gone, she stood up and scooted over to the far side of the wagon bench. It seemed weird to miss her.
How was that even possible? He didn’t even know the woman and already he was sad he couldn’t hold her.
“Sorry, miss. The horses can be a bit temperamental.”
“Annabelle?” Susan asked from somewhere in the distance. Colten wasn’t sure where she was because all he could do was stare at the woman who was giving him a look he wasn’t quite sure how to read. She didn’t seem angry at him, but she wasn’t fully pleased either.
“Susan.” Annabelle scrambled to descend the wagon and Colten held the reins steady so the horses wouldn’t move with her climbing off.
“I didn’t know you were coming!” Susan said, pulling the girl into her arms. “What a wonderful surprise. What brought you here?” Susan looked up at Colten and an expression of pure joy crossed her face. “Colten!” She clapped her hands together. “I thought you told Michael you weren’t going to send for a bride yet.”
“I didn’t,” Colten said, shaking his head at the same time Annabelle looked up at him. “She didn’t come here for me.” He raised his brow and gave Annabelle a look to remind her how foolish her choice of Lester was.
“I came for someone else,” Annabelle said, her voice soft and a little concerned.
“Who?” Susan asked, facing Annabelle directly now.
“Mr. Lester Olsen.”
Susan threw her hands in the air then shook her head vigorously. “No way, I won’t allow it. You cannot marry Lester. He’s not right for you. And he would drink every last drop of money.”
“But what else can I do?” Annabelle asked. “I accepted money from him to help with my travel expenses. Mr. Howard there says that Lester will think he owns me now. And I don’t have anything left to pay him back.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Susan said. “There is no way on earth I’ll stand for this. I’ve got some money I could loan you. And you can work at the boarding house when it’s done to pay me back. So don’t go getting worried about any of that.”
“But if she’s here and Lester sticks around, he’s going to cause a lot of trouble for the girl,” Colten said. “She should just head back to where she came from.”
“Oh, I can’t do that,” Annabelle said. “I can’t go back to working in the factories. And I have no family or anything I want to return to in New York.”
By this time, Michael had come around the building and joined his wife, introducing himself quickly to Annabelle.
“What is all this about?” Michael asked, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. Their obvious infatuation with each other had not diminished in the least.
Susan quickly explained the situation and Michael looked up at Colten. He’d known Michael long enough to realize when the man had an idea. And also when he wouldn’t like what his friend had to say.
“Then Colten should marry her.” Michael looked at his wife, then to Annabelle. Both of the women turned their heads slowly to stare at Colten wh
ere he still sat in the wagon. Susan with speculation and Annabelle with fear. Or maybe just shock. But why did her cheeks turn pink and her eyes dart away from him then right back?
“Now hold on a minute,” Colten said. “You’re getting too far ahead of yourself. I’ve known of her existence less than a quarter of an hour, and you’re trying to tell me we should get married?”
“I didn’t know Susan long before I knew we’d suit.” Michael put his arm around his wife’s waist and pulled her against his side.
“But you had written to her before. And you had planned for this. I’m not just going to upend my life to marry some girl who wasn’t careful enough with her planning to figure out if her intended was worth coming all this way out here for. And accepting money from a stranger is inappropriate.”
At the look of hurt in her pretty hazel eyes, Colten knew he’d been a terrible person.
The whistle of the train snapped him back to the most important issue. “She’s got to get back on the train. She can continue on to California, and then return to New York on the trip back.”
“Have you ever been on a train?” Susan asked, putting her hands on her hips. “Sure it’s better than traversing the country in a covered wagon, but it’s a hard and tiring journey. And it costs money that you have already accused her of not having. If you’re so callous as to insist that she leave, then you are definitely no gentleman. Now, leave her trunks here and be gone with you.”
Colten’s face heated in shame. He’d let himself get riled up at the suggestion that he change his life to take on a woman. It didn’t matter that the woman was the prettiest he’d seen in forever. Or that she felt warm and soft and perfect in those brief moments he’d held her.
“I’m sorry,” Colten said. “I know she can’t just get back on the train. Besides, we’d never make it in time. But I just don’t know what to do for the young lady.”
“Thank you for your help, Mr. Howard,” Annabelle said. “I appreciate the ride here and the help with my things. I don’t expect you to help any more. Please return to your labors. I know I interrupted your work. I do hope you’ll check on Mr. Olsen and make sure he’s not gravely injured.”
“Of course, Miss Annabelle.” Colten tipped his head as if he were wearing a hat and flicked the reins of the horses to get the wagon moving. Before the wagon did a complete circle, he slowed down again and asked Michael. “Do you want me to bring your load over as well?”
Michael shook his head. “No. I’ll come by with the wagon and Jessie. He’s been begging to drive it.”
“Sounds good.” Colten continued on toward the platform where the crates for the mercantile sat waiting for pick up. Lester was still on the ground and young Matthew was sitting on the edge of it kicking his legs back and forth as he watched the unconscious man.
If only he knew what to do with the drunk. Colten pulled the wagon up to the edge of the platform, giving Lester a wide berth, relieved he’d gone off the edge where he had. When he’d stationed the horses in the right place, he handed the reins to Matthew to keep the horses still while he moved the crates into the wagon bed for delivery to the store.
Unfortunately, the whole time he was working, he couldn’t get Annabelle out of his mind. What a crazy notion, to think of marrying someone you just met. But it would be better for her to not be available when Lester woke up. And she was a beauty. But how could they make it work?
It was impossible.
***
Annabelle had always thought of herself as a strong and uncomplicated woman, but being here and so out of her element without the promise of a good husband like she’d dreamed he would be, she was lost. In his letters, Lester had sounded just fine. He hadn’t sent a lot of details, but the fact that he worked for someone and that he had sent money to help pay her expenses to travel there had seemed completely reasonable.
She should have waited to hear from Susan again, but the problems back in New York had gotten to the point where she could either choose her husband, or end up being a mistress to one of the vilest men in the city. She’d run out of money to pay her rent and had just managed to scrape up enough funds to buy her ticket. And she’d had to sell her mother’s locket to do that. But her mother wouldn’t have wanted her to become a play thing for another man.
She would have wanted her to work hard and become something better. And with a new life here in Birch Creek Idaho, she would do just that. Even without a husband. Susan’s assurance that they could give her a place to stay and help her get a way to earn a living helped ease her fears.
“How would you feel about taking over the job of school teacher for a while?” Susan asked. “I’m getting close to my time and the kids still need their lessons. That would help you ease into the town.”
“Are you sure?” Annabelle asked.
“Of course.” Susan hugged her, pressing her curved belly against Annabelle’s side. “Sorry, I keep forgetting how big I’m getting.”
“Will Mr. Olsen cause a problem?” Annabelle asked.
“He might throw a fuss, but no one in town would want to see you married to him. He’s not a horrible man, just not husband material.”
“How long would it take me to pay him back what he sent me?” Annabelle asked.
“We’ll take care of that right away. He’ll probably be happy to know he’ll have more money for drink and forget the whole idea of marrying you anyway. Then you can work at the school or something like that. Oh wait. Didn’t you have a job at the clothing factory? You sew really well don’t you?”
“I’m decent at it.”
“Well, I ordered a sewing machine because I needed more clothes for my growing size, as well as for this little one coming soon. And I don’t know much more than the basics. How about we get you some fabric and you can help me make some baby clothes?”
“I would love to help you with that.” Annabelle looked at the brick building that was still being worked on. “I suppose I should find some lodgings.”
Susan laughed. “That’s what this will be. Right now, there’s nothing else really. Not unless you want to move in with a family. The Howard’s have a storage room they might let out.” Susan gave Annabelle a look that just made her laugh.
“I don’t think that is an option.”
“Well, our little hut isn’t all that amazing, but there is a bed there that you could use and Jessie could go back to sleeping in the shed. He’s out there a lot anyway since he loves to be with the horses.”
“Are you sure?” Annabelle asked.
“Of course I am. I told you to come out here and see me. So you are my guest for as long as you want to be. Then once this place is built, you can rent out a room here indefinitely until you find something better. Maybe a home of your own.”
“I don’t see that happening any time soon.”
“Possibly,” Susan said. “But I have a feeling Birch Creek isn’t going to be so sparse on bachelors for long. In fact, there are a few homesteads out there that have been cleared recently. Not sure who lives there, but if word gets out that there is a lovely young lady such as yourself in the area, the men will come looking. And you’ll have your pick.”
Annabelle shook her head. “I didn’t do so well with my last choice. I’d almost rather not have to go through it again. How did you know Michael was the one?”
Susan smiled. “I had a little help. And I knew I was coming here to find my true love. Just took him a minute to figure it out too. Men can be a little daft that way. Don’t worry. We’ll get yours to come around soon enough.”
Annabelle sighed. “I don’t know what I was thinking coming here like this. I feel like I’ve caused such a mess.”
Susan gave her a side hug. “Nonsense. Now, what do you say we head over to the mercantile and see if Mrs. Howard has some nice fabric? We’ll get you started on some sewing right away.”
As the two walked down the road, Annabelle glanced at Susan and could see the cogs working in the back of her mind. The
other woman was planning something and Annabelle wasn’t sure what she should do about it. But right now, she was okay with someone else taking charge for a few minutes while she let her mind mull over her options.
***
Annabelle held the paper wrapped packages of fabric that Susan had picked out from the mercantile, trying to make sure she didn’t drop the spool of thread that just didn’t want to stay put. They’d had a nice little conversation with the woman at the front and Susan had explained what had happened with Colten and Lester at the station. When Annabelle realized Mrs. Howard was Colten’s mother, she made sure to explain how Colten had assisted her in finding Susan and getting away from Mr. Olsen. Mrs. Howard had seemed relieved that the things she’d heard weren’t as bad as the gossip had made it sound. Susan and Mrs. Howard talked quietly for a moment while Annabelle had looked over the supplies to be sure she had what she needed.
“I think I hear him unloading the crates. I’ll go see what I can do to help.” Mrs. Howard turned toward a door at the back of the store then turned back and smiled at Annabelle. “Welcome to Birch Creek. I’m happy you’re here. And don’t worry about Lester. We’ll make sure everything is fine with that.” She gave a little wave, then left the main room to head toward the back.
Susan led Annabelle out the front door, and down the street in the opposite direction of the boarding house.
“Mrs. Howard is a sweet woman,” Annabelle said. “Is everyone here so nice?”
“Most everyone. I think you’ll find you’ll love it here,” Susan said as they continued walking down the street. “It may take a bit of getting used to since it’s nothing like New York was. But the people here are wonderful and so kind.”
“They seem to be. All except for the one.”
“Yes, Colten was a bit rough for a moment, wasn’t he? He really isn’t that bad. I think he was just taken aback by the misunderstanding at first.”
The Clerk's Bride: A Golden Valley Story (The Brides of Birch Creek Book 2) Page 2