A Long Way to Love: A Historical Western Romance Book

by Lorelei Brogan

  They moved down the hallway, knocking on door after door. Some opened a crack, others not at all. The only thing they had in common was a lack of Trudy. Ellie became more and more jittery as they moved along. She began to chew her nails and eventually only Kate was able to speak coherently to their neighbors.

  Trudy wasn’t on their floor. They went up a flight of stairs and tried all the doors on that floor. Nothing. And then they went up to the top floor. They went from one end to the other with no luck. Kate was about to begin panicking herself, thinking of the horror that certainly had befallen the poor girl, when she knocked on the last door and it opened.

  “Trudy!” Ellie yelled. She shoved the door away and flung herself at her sister.

  Trudy, wide eyed, hugged Ellie. She turned a frown on Kate.

  “She didn’t know where you were,” Kate said relief washing over her.

  “But I left a note tacked on the door,” Trudy said.

  “Well, it must have fallen off,” Ellie said. “What are you doing up here anyway?”

  Ellie stepped into the hallway and half closed the door behind her. From inside came the sounds of children playing. “Mrs. McMahon is behind on her husband’s loan,” Trudy said softly. “She got a job this afternoon at a factory. I’m not sure which one. She was so excited. With that money, she can keep her kids safe.” Her expression told them all they needed to know.

  They were all in the same pot and Uncle George was just waiting for them to cook nicely before he devoured them all.

  Kate and Ellie went back downstairs. Some neighbors were waiting on the landing, wanting to know what, if anything, had happened. They looked relieved to hear Trudy was upstairs babysitting.

  “Well, thanks for the help,” Ellie said.

  “Anytime,” Kate said before slipping into her apartment and locking the door.

  A sudden urge came over her. She ran to her bed and pulled up the mattress. She would take Clint up on his offer. She’d do it today, tonight, and to hell with Uncle George and his stupid contracts.

  She took pen and paper and leaning on her night table, she replied to Clint’s letter. No matter how risky, she’d give it to Mr. Kinder in the morning and be done with all this.

  ***

  Kate dropped her letter off with Mr. Kinder in the morning as she had planned. He seemed thrilled. His eyes misted over, and Kate suspected that at heart, the man was a hopeless romantic. Before letting her go, he gave her a list of things she needed to do. Mr. Kinder and Clint would see to her travel arrangements, but she would have to take care of everything else herself.

  “The list is just to help you make sure there no loose ends when you go,” Mr. Kinder said.

  “You think of everything,” Kate said.

  “Well, we like to make sure our brides are well looked after,” he said and smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy in Arizona.”

  “I’m sure I will be,” Kate agreed before stepping out into the street and losing herself in the crowd.

  That had been three days ago, and in that time, Kate had sorted her meager possessions into two categories. Those she wanted to keep and those things she needed to get rid of. Both piles were terribly small.

  Giving notice was impossible at the laundry and haberdashers she worked at. There was just too much chance that the owners would tell Uncle George what was happening. He seemed to have eyes and ears all over town.

  So, she penned letters to be given to them when she had already left. She was careful not to put any mention of where she was going in the letters. There was no telling how far Uncle George would go to find her.

  With her plans coming together, she went to help Mr. Kinder with his filing that Saturday. While she worked, he and his wife, Joan, laid out her travel plans for her.

  “It’s best to catch a morning train out,” Mr. Kinder said. “The platforms are full then and you’re less likely to be found. But not the first train.”

  “Shouldn’t we see when the train to…where was it again?” Joan asked. “Wherever it is, there will be a set time it leaves. You know that Robert. She can’t catch some random train. Heavens, she could end up anywhere.”

  “It’ll have to be the train to Tucson,” her husband said, consulting a large map he had tacked onto one of the walls. “There is no train to Oatman itself. At least not according to the schedule. It’s Tucson or Yuma, but that’s too far to the west.”

  “What an odd name for a place,” Mrs. Kinder said, placing her hands on her wide hips. “I mean, Oatman? How did that name come about? I’ll bet you there’s a story there.”

  “You’re probably right, Mrs. Kinder,” Kate said, placing a profile on the matched pile. “If I ever find out, I’ll write and let you know.” She put another on the unmatched pile.

  Mrs. Kinder smiled sadly. “Better not, honey. You get out of here and you never write back to anyone. You stay safe, far away.”

  Kate looked back down at her work. That was easier said than done. Although she tried not to get attached to any of her neighbors, she was fond of Ellie and Trudy and suspected she would miss them. And more than likely worry about them.

  They were sweet, and if their father kept gambling and behaving as he was, they would certainly end up in the brothels that Kate herself was narrowly escaping. Perhaps she could give them a helping hand even as she left them behind?

  “Mr. Kinder,” Kate said. “Could I take one of your pamphlets? I think a friend of mine might benefit from your help.”

  “Of course,” he said handing one to her. She slipped it into her pocket. She’d give it to Ellie before she left and hopefully she and Trudy would find a way out just like she had.

  Sorting the filing took the better part of her Saturday, but by the time it was all done, Mr. Kinder had bought her train ticket and things seemed to be progressing nicely. Kate was nothing if not grateful for everything.

  Two weeks to settle all her affairs seemed too long and too short at the same time. On the one hand, she was eager to get out west and leave the constant fear and worry behind and on the other, she was loath to leave the good people she knew behind. People like Mr. and Mrs. Kinder, who she would never see again.

  Mr. Kinder insisted on sending Clint a telegram to let him know she would be arriving in May.

  With such a lot of the administration done for her leaving, Kate walked home in good spirits that evening. She even stopped at the Singer store and stared at the sewing machines in the window. Oh, how she wanted one. Sewing by hand was uncommonly hard work and took ages.

  Having a machine like that with the peddle that allowed it to sew so many stitches in a minute, she could hardly believe it, would make her dressmaking go so much faster. Oh well, maybe she’d find Clint was rolling in money and he’d love her, so he’d buy her one. That would be amazing.

  It was only when she stood in front of her door and, putting her key in the lock, found it open that her heart jumped into her throat. She wanted to turn back and run, but the door had slid open and the people inside had seen her. She wouldn’t make it to the landing let alone outside, and then what?

  She stepped into the room. Seated on her bed, dressed in a terrible yellow wool suit, was her uncle. He was a tall man with salt and pepper hair. His eyes were small and dark, and his mustache was waxed to a glassy perfection. Kate wondered if it was indeed made from glass and if it would shatter if she hit him in the face.

  “Katherine,” he said. His voice was pleasant, that of an educated businessman, not a thug and a pimp. He looked every bit the gentleman. “Come in child.”

  She walked further into the room. “That should have been my line.”

  “Would it have been?” he asked. “Ozzy has a rather strong opinion about that. I had to leave him at home. It seems you have hurt is…uh shall we say… his pride.”

  “Good,” Kate said taking in the room. Uncle George wasn’t alone. He had two goons with him. She knew them both. One was Jimmie, who was built like a gorilla, and the ot
her was Benny who was skinny and short but deadly with knives. It was said he could slice a fly in half from across the room.

  Uncle George smiled and patted the bed next to him. “You seem to be a little lacking in furniture. I seem to remember your mother having more.”

  Kate said nothing. She only watched him as a mouse might watch a cat.

  He sighed. “Very well then. I see you are planning a trip.”

  Kate’s eyes darted to the suitcase she had begun to pack. Oh darn! She should have hidden it, but she hadn’t expected him to break in.

  She sighed. “I was just sorting out my winter clothes. You know it’s spring, and well, I don’t need the wool dresses, now do I?”

  He frowned. “You always pack them in your suitcase?”

  She nodded and moved to her potbellied stove. Retrieving the matches from the top she lit one and, turning her back to her uncle, hunkered down to light the fire. “Of course. I don’t have a huge house like you, uncle. I have to make do.”

  “You know all you have to do is say the word and we can get you far better accommodation,” he said. “It would be my pleasure to set you up.”

  Kate suspected he could, but at what price? Her soul maybe?

  “I like it here,” she said. The fire took and she closed the door, standing. “Was there something you wanted? Only I have to be at church early to help with the flowers.”

  Uncle George watched her. “A little birdie says you’re behaving strangely. Planning something.”

  “Which birdie is that? The one who tried to grab me?” Kate asked.

  Uncle George smiled. “The very same. I suppose I shouldn’t trust a word out of his mouth. Only I know where you spent the day.”

  “Then you should also know why I was there,” Kate said, her pulse racing so fast she could hardly breathe. She had to keep it together, play it cool like she had nothing to hide. Luckily, she had Clint’s letters hidden under a floorboard under the bed. They would never find them there. Uncle George couldn’t know anything. He might suspect, but he didn’t know.

  Uncle George nodded. “You know, I told them all that you’d never run out on me, on your only family. You wouldn’t, now would you? Of course, not.” He walked over to her and patted her cheek. “You are a good girl, aren’t you?” You will honor your mother’s debt, because you aren’t stupid, and you know what happens to those who default on their contracts.”

  Kate jerked her head back from him and glared at him.“I don’t want trouble.”

  “You see, that’s the fire I love in my little Katie” Uncle George said to the room. “Men will pay me a fortune to break you. Like a wild filly. But not today my dear. Today, you are still on your own.” He moved to the door. “You might want a better lock. That one is far too easy to pick. It took Benny no time at all.”

  He left with Jimmie and Benny trailing after him. As the door closed behind them, Kate slid the deadbolt home and sagged onto the floor. For a while, all she could do was cry.

  Chapter 3

  May 1881

  As the days passed and there were no new visits from Uncle George, Kate began to relax. Her spirits lifted and she became excited. Was it possible she would escape without him being any the wiser? Was Lady Luck smiling on her now as she never had before, and things were falling neatly into place?

  It was so hard for Kate to keep going about her usual business working at the laundry in the mornings and the haberdashers sewing on buttons and hemming trousers in the afternoons. She wanted to wrap things up and get on that train. Patience wasn’t one of her virtues and Kate found it hard to wait without becoming fidgety and anxious or letting anything slip.

  It would be too easy to say something that would give her plans away. The problem was that Kate was a bubbly person. She was a friendly people person and loved to talk to her customers in the haberdashery as she helped them choose fabric or a pattern for their next project. The only way she could keep this up was to constantly ask the customer questions that then led to them talking about themselves rather than asking her questions. And so, it went for days and days.

  Uncle George’s men seemed conspicuously absent.

  Kate wasn’t fooled though. She was certain they were watching her. They were always watching her. And that was something else she still didn’t understand. Why was Uncle George so obsessed with her? Surely, he had better things to do with his time than find out what his niece was up to. No amount of pondering this subject, however, brought any reasons to light that weren’t crazy or fanciful and so Kate had long ago given up.

  At least with no one breathing down her neck, Kate felt she could breathe and think. What would she need in Arizona? A broad-brimmed hat most likely. She’d heard it was very sunny out that way. And what else? Perhaps a pair of men’s trousers. She’d heard that women often wore them out west because skirts and dresses could get in the way.

  Not having a pair of those, she decided to make herself some in black. After all, black went with everything. This took care of her evenings as she sat in her room, laying the pattern on the fabric, cutting and sewing them by hand. When she was done, she had a fine pair of trousers and with the leftover fabric, she made herself a satchel to match. Now all she’d need was a hat and she’d be well on her way to looking the part of a farmer’s wife.

  She pictured herself surrounded by open space stretching as far and the eye could see. Trees and fields, hills and mountains, they would all be there around her and she would be free, completely free, for the first time in her life. To say she couldn’t wait was an understatement.

  As her departure drew nearer, Kate began to find the wait becoming unbearable. She wanted to leave now. To get her journey underway. And worse, she wanted to crow about it. Having to keep mum about Clint and his farm, about the horses and how wonderful Arizona sounded in the letters was eating Kate alive. Only ticking off the days in her head before she went to bed each night made the slightest difference to her and stopped her from going completely insane.

  The closer her departure day, the more she had to finalize. Selling off her bed and things before she left would be silly, so she wrote a note for her landlord to sell them or use them. She didn’t care which.

  As far as packing went, she had little she wanted to take with her. Her clothes were an obvious choice as was her sewing kit which she had built up over the years. It was now quite a substantial kit with spare buttons, threads of all colors, several pairs of sharp scissors in various sizes, and pins and needles. She had them all in a basket but that was impractical for traveling and so she had sewn herself a fabric version that rolled up into a parcel the size of a large handbag and didn’t take up too much room.

  Kate had precious few books and magazines. They cost money and unless they had anything to do with clothes or were adventure stories by J R Woodburn, she was not interested in them. She had several copies of Weldon’s Ladies’ Journal and decided to take out the pages that interested her most and leave the rest. Those she placed in a brown envelope in her suitcase and then piled her clothes on top. Over the years she had bought several yards of fabric that she hadn’t used entirely, and she took those back to the haberdashers where she worked to trade them in for some fabric for a wedding dress.

  This was risky business. If Uncle George heard of her buying bridal satin, he’d pounce on her in a flash, afraid she was getting married and he’d never get her in his clutches. Instead, she decided to buy a powder blue taffeta and some delicate lace. Claiming to want to cover the bodice with lace as well she bought lace suitable for a bridal veil.

  Would this work as subterfuge? Would Uncle George be fooled? She hoped so. His hearing of her purchase was a certainty. For some time, Kate had thought her boss, Mrs. Kepler, who was a shameless flirt with Uncle George whenever he came in to see Kate, was keeping an eye on her for him.