Ben shook his head. “Nah. Not yet. Carrie hasn’t gotten frantic about it yet. When she does, that’s when we’ll start puttin’ up the bags and battening the hatches.”
“She knows what she’s talking about,” Jim nodded. “I’m glad you said something about it, Dean. I’m already preparing. I like to do it ahead of time.”
Dean nodded. “Yeah, I know ya do. But after that storm you got caught in, that doesn’t surprise me.” He looked at Ben, picking up his drink again. “So tell me, how’s your love life going? You enjoying being married? You find out what’s going on with the little lady?”
Ben shrugged, glancing over his shoulder at the saloon doors, as if he could see Nan through them. “I don’t know yet. She said she was coming to town today to see the Doc. She’ll let me know what’s wrong.”
“But she didn’t say anything about the child?”
Ben shook his head. “No. No mention that she might be pregnant.”
“And you didn’t say anything to her? Ask her any questions about it?”
Dean looked like he expected Ben’s reaction. He nodded. “I didn’t think you would. You shouldn’t. This is something she needs to tell you.”
“I hate to think I’m testing her. I don’t want to be like that. But this is going to let me know how honest of a woman she is. When we were writing letters, I… well, I never thought to ask her about prior relationships. She didn’t say she was a working woman or I might have asked. But… well, she doesn’t seem like that kind of woman who would do that.”
He looked at Dean, hoping his friends agreed with him. He wanted confirmation that he wasn’t wrong to give Nan as many chances as possible to prove what kind of woman she was. He wanted her to be the loyal, faithful, honest woman he was falling in love with.
“You know, I gotta agree with you,” Dean said. He turned to look at Jim. “You haven’t met her, have you?”
Jim shook his head. “Not yet. Jenny’s got them coming over this weekend.”
“He’s right that she seems like a good woman. I think you’ll like her.”
Jim turned his eyes back to Ben. “Jenny said she was. Said she was real friendly and pretty. I’m looking forward to it, Ben. I really am. And that’s saying something. I’m not one for Jenny’s dinner parties. I just like to show up and be surprised by the new guests.”
“We’re gonna get along just fine, I’m sure,” Ben said. “Jenny did seem to like talking to her the day we came in here.”
He fell quiet, his mind suddenly invaded by the uncomfortable feeling of Bee in his bunk house, professing her love to him. He gripped the beer glass tight and clenched his jaw. He didn’t want to think about her. However, he had a feeling she might be dangerous. Carrie had sent one of the other maids to tell him she was busy until the afternoon and would talk to him when she returned with Nan after the doctor’s visit.
He’d pondered all night what he wanted to tell Carrie. It was obvious Bee had lost her mind. She was acting like they were married and he was cheating on her with Nan. Just the thought of her manipulating Nan and telling her lies about him made his stomach hurt.
He groaned aloud without meaning to. His companions both looked at him curiously.
“I know you’re not thinking about Nan right now,” Dean said. “That look on your face… you’re thinking about something that smells real bad, aren’t you?”
Ben had to laugh, picturing Bee in his mind. He didn’t even know what she smelled like. “I guess you could say something like that. I’ve got a woman after me.”
Dean raised one eyebrow. “A woman other than Nan?”
“Yeah, of course,” Ben replied, turning up his beer mug until the last drop was in his mouth. He thumped it on the bar top and tapped his fingers at Lee to indicate he wanted another. “She works up there in the Mason house. One of the maids.”
Ben noticed when Dean got a look of understanding on his face. He nodded. “Ah, yeah, that girl… Beatrix? Beatrice?”
“Beatrice. She goes by Bee.” The sick feeling in Ben’s stomach was growing stronger the more he talked about the crazy woman. “She’s a lunatic. She needs to be put away somewhere.”
Jim almost choked on his beer and had to cover his mouth so it didn’t come squirting out. He looked around Dean at Ben. “What did she do to make you say that?” he asked, his voice highly amused.
“She thinks we’re a couple or something. She came to the bunkhouse and was very demanding, acting like she had the right to tell me what to do.”
Ben shook his head. When Dean spoke up, his anxiety over the situation increased. “Yeah, Lou told me about that. Said she came in there making a scene. All the men thought there must be something going on between you two. Lou set ‘em straight though. We all know you’re falling for Nan and that’s the best thing you can do.”
Jim’s eyes were narrow. “You think she might be dangerous?”
Ben thought about it for a moment. It was hard to tell. Bee wasn’t a big woman, but crazy could come in any shape or size. He shrugged. “I don’t know. I hope not. I can’t imagine what she could do.”
“You think she might go after Nan? Does she seem like that type?”
Ben was quiet for a moment. He was of the mind Nan could take care of herself. However, if she was pregnant, her emotions would be more vulnerable. Bee would be able to manipulate her feelings. There were several different ways Bee could be dangerous.
“I don’t know that either.”
“You should warn Nan about her,” Jim said decisively.
“Bee’s already gone to see her. Carrie sent her. I don’t think she’ll send her again. Don’t know why she did to begin with. I’m gonna have a private talk with Carrie about Bee after they get back from the doc's office.”
“Why don’t you go over there and show your support?”
Ben raised his eyebrows, shaking his head. “No. I don’t want to do that. I don’t think Nan would appreciate that. It’s her private life. Might be different when we’re married. But right now, I gotta let her do what she needs to do.”
“She’s only been here a week,” Dean said. “And I think she’s fitting in nicely. If she is with child, I hope she has a good explanation. There are some people here in Low Valley that won’t look on that kindly. What do you plan to do?”
Ben moved his eyes from one to the other before answering. He draped one hand over the top of his fresh beer mug and ran his fingers around the rim. “I’m not gonna hold it against her, I can tell you that. I intend to marry that woman if she’s honest with me about everything. That’s the key. If she is honest and upfront. I’ll take care of her and her child.”
“What if the baby’s father comes lookin’ for them?” Jim asked. Dean twisted his head to give his friend a narrow look. Jim stared back at him. “What? It’s a possibility.”
“Let’s just cross that bridge if and when we come to it.” Ben hadn’t thought of that.
What if the baby’s father did come searching for them?
CHAPTER 26
Nan Gets A Start
Nan looked nervously at the door to the doctor’s office. It was closed. He was in there with someone else. She was hoping he would be able to take her right away. As soon as they walked in, though, she knew it wasn’t going to happen. There were three other people in the waiting room and he had someone in his office.
Nan sat down while Carrie went to speak to Becky at the desk. She came back with a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, hon, it’s gonna be a little bit. Do you want to go walk around some?”
Nan stood back up as quickly as she’d sat down. “Yes, that sounds lovely. I need a new bonnet anyway.”
“Wonderful.” Carrie’s face lit up. “I love shopping. Let’s go see if they have anything new in stock.” She turned to look at Becky, who was watching them. “We’re going to walk around. Don’t give our spot away!”
Becky smiled at them. “Will do. See you in a few.”
Nan nodded at the girl a
s she and Carrie went back out onto the street. They turned to the left and walked toward the shops that lined the town square. There weren’t a lot of people walking around. It was a quiet morning in Low Valley.
The two women went to the dress shop, which also featured matching bonnets and other accessories for ladies. Nan hadn’t been in the store yet and was a little nervous about how much the bonnets might cost. She didn’t want to ask, since it was an indication she didn’t have the funds. However, she didn’t know how long the money left to her through Johnny’s personal account would last, especially if she was with child and Ben didn’t want to marry her because of it.
It wasn’t until that morning she even thought about holding on to her money in case the worst happened. It was kind and generous of Carrie to offer her the cottage until she could find her own place, if it came down to that. She hadn’t told anyone Johnny left her with cash. It was no one’s business, not even her in-laws.
Especially not her in-laws.
She ran her fingers over a sky blue bonnet, rubbing the fabric between her fingers. It was soft and pretty. It was attached to a mannequin head. She studied the bonnet to see if her head was about the same size as the mannequin. She looked at Carrie when she heard the woman giggle.
“What are you laughing about?” she asked with a smile.
“That bonnet would fit you. I can see you’re trying to tell. Don’t worry. Your head’s not too big.”
Both women laughed. Nan hoped Carrie wouldn’t ask if she had the money to pay for the bonnet. It would humiliate her.
Thankfully, Carrie walked off to another part of the store to explore on her own. Nan moved down the aisle, looking at the variety of bonnets, bags, and stockings on sale. Most of her clothes were less than two years old and she had enough to last for a while, even with styles changing the way they did. She didn’t need much here in Nevada, as opposed to the city life in Atlanta. She’d gone to plays and events with Johnny that required dressing well.
Here she only needed her riding clothes and a few dresses. There was nothing fancy in Low Valley.
She stared down at a bonnet, not really seeing it, sensing someone was watching her. She looked up directly into the eyes of Bee, who was standing on the street outside the window, looking in at her.
Nan’s heart thumped for a moment, a sensation of fear and trepidation sliding through her. She frowned, staring back at Bee. She didn’t like the look on the woman’s face. Bee looked satisfied, as if she knew something Nan didn’t know.
The thought that Bee already knew too much about her and that she’d apparently learned it all from Ben came flooding back to her memory. Her heart ached to think Ben could talk about her behind her back to another woman. Someone other than Carrie. Nan didn’t mind him talking to Carrie. Carrie was on her side.
Bee wasn’t her friend. From the looks of it, she didn’t want to be either. That only left enemy. Nan didn’t like having enemies, especially when she’d done nothing to deserve anyone’s ire.
The two women stared each other down until finally Bee smirked and moved away from the window. Nan looked down, her nerves tingling. She didn’t like confrontation and was sure Bee would be coming through the door of the dress shop at any moment.
She looked around for Carrie. If Carrie saw the behavior of her maid, she might make Bee leave her alone.
The door of the shop opened and Bee entered, her eyes directly on Nan. She had a determined look on her face. Nan’s eyes widened. Her heart raced. She didn’t want to get in a fight with this woman. She’d never been in a fight in her life. It certainly looked like Bee was ready to throw a punch or two.
Nan slid her eyes to where Carrie was standing with her back to them both. She looked back at Bee, who also glanced at Carrie. When she saw who Nan was with, Bee’s face collapsed in on itself with fury. She turned her angry eyes back to Nan and stepped backwards to the front door. She opened it with one hand behind her back and slipped through.
Relief flooded Nan. Whatever she and Ben had together had stuck with her and she wasn’t letting it go. Nan knew she would have to talk to Ben about it. She would have to tell him Bee was threatening her. She would have to tell him about Johnny.
The only course she had now was to be up front with him and take her chances. Carrie was convinced Ben was falling for her. It seemed like it to her, too, from the way he talked to her and the look in his eyes.
She was trying to guard her heart. It was very soon after losing Johnny. She might have chosen to become a mail order bride, but that didn’t mean she had to live an unhappy life with someone she didn’t love or that didn’t love her. She could make her own path if she needed to.
Ben made it difficult not to fall in love. He was charming and friendly, handsome and kind. She could tell from the moment she stepped off the train that he wouldn’t be hard to fall for.However, her love for Johnny was hard to let go of. She missed the sound of his voice and his laughter. She didn’t want to replace Johnny so easily. It made her feel guilty, as if she had never really loved Johnny.
If she was with child, she would always have a piece of him with her. The child would be a representation of their love and nothing would break that. She would love the child just as she loved its father. With or without Ben.
She wanted to be with Ben. She wanted him by her side.
Her emotions swirled all over as she crossed the room to get Carrie.
“I want to go back to the clinic, Carrie,” she said in a quiet voice. “I want to sit down. I’m not feeling too well.”
Carrie turned and scanned her face. “You do look a bit pale, my dear. Let’s go back. We need to find out what’s going on in that little body of yours.”
Carrie touched Nan’s arm gently and steered her to the door. “Did you want to buy anything?”
Nan shook her head. “I’ll come back for that little bonnet later. I did like that very much.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to get it now?”
Nan pulled the door open, shaking her head again. “No. I want to sit down.”
Carrie took her arm and walked with her, keeping a slow pace. When they went in the clinic, the waiting room was empty. Becky smiled at them.
“He’s ready when you are, Nan,” the girl said.
Nan gave Carrie a grateful look and went to the door of the doctor’s office. She was about to find out whether she was going to have a child. Her heart hammered in her chest nervously.
She turned the knob and pushed the door open.
The doctor looked up at her from his desk. “You must be Nancy Simpson.” He stood up and came around to shake her hand. He held out the other to the chair in front of the desk.
She looked around as she went in, noticing the examining bed against the wall on the far side of the office. She wished it was all over and she was walking out with a diagnosis in hand.
CHAPTER 27
Bee Takes A Look
When Nan came out of the clinic, she went to the buggy she was sharing with Carrie and climbed in. She didn’t know Bee was hiding around the corner, her back pressed against the wall, her eyes peering around it, narrow and suspicious.
There shouldn’t be any reason for the woman to be visiting the clinic. She didn’t look sick. Bee supposed she could have been there for a check-up. She probably hadn’t had one in years.
Bee curled one side of her lip, watching as the buggy pulled away. She couldn’t tell by the look on Nan’s face if she’d received good or bad news about her health. Bee would have to find out on her own.
As soon as the buggy was gone, Bee came out from her hiding place and walked casually down the path to the door. She stepped inside and looked around. The lobby was empty. Even Becky was gone.
“Hello?” she said. “Is anyone here?”
There was no reply. She looked up the stairwell next to the front door. She saw no movement and heard no one up there either.
Nan had only come out moments before. She must have been th
e last patient of the day.
Bee moved across the room on quiet feet. She went straight for Becky’s desk and turned the log in ledger around to read the names. She ran her finger down the page, recognizing everyone on the list. When she reached Nan’s, at the bottom, she slid her finger across the line to see what she’d been there for. The small box with that information in it was blank.
Bee frowned. That didn’t help her at all.
She looked over her shoulder and around the room. It was still empty. She settled her eyes on the door to the doctor’s office. She could make up an excuse if he was in there. Tell him Becky wasn’t at her desk and she’d had no choice but to just come in.
She walked to the door and stood in front of it, pressing her ear against the wood to listen. She heard nothing on the other side.
She lifted her hand and knocked lightly, rattling the doorknob at the same time.
“Doc?” she said. She turned the knob and stuck her head in the door.
The room was empty.
A slow grin spread across her face. She slipped into the room and closed the door quietly behind her. She was at the desk in mere moments, lifting the papers and folders, looking for anything with Nan’s name on it.
She became frustrated quickly.
“She was just here,” she murmured, casting a dark gaze around the room to look for other piles of papers. A box in the corner by the door she’d come in had papers in it, almost to the top. She moved quickly to it, reached in and pulled them all out.
When she saw the top stack stapled neatly together had Nan’s name on the top, she snatched it up and dropped the rest of them back in the basket.
She went to the patient chair and sat down, leaning to the right so the papers would catch the sunlight coming through the window.
She leafed through the papers, stewing over the fact that Nan weighed less than she did and had a good three inches on her in height. There wasn’t much said about Nan’s past, but her future was written there in black and white.
A Secretive Mail Order Widow For The Humorous Rancher (The Love of Low Valley Series) Page 12