“Well, we thought since we share my bedroom that the puppies could have MaryAnn’s room. They need some place to play. ‘Course they’ll sleep with us.”
“Of course.” John had already moved a double bed into Katy’s room. She and MaryAnn refused to be parted, even at night. It was a good thing he had. Now the bed would have two puppies in it, too. Eventually, the girls would have to separate if they wanted to sleep with their dogs. If the size of the paws were any indication, these pups would be big dogs.
“You’re not really going to let them sleep with the girls are you?” asked Sarah.
“Why not?”
“Fleas are why not. These dogs are going to have to be scrubbed before they come into my house.”
John shrugged his shoulders. “So we’ll give them a bath when we get home.”
“No we won’t. You and the girls will give them a bath. This ought to be hysterical. Bertha and I will watch from the kitchen. As long as we’re going home early, I’m going to do some of my baking for tomorrow.”
John put his hand on her still flat stomach and said, “Don’t you think you should rest this afternoon?”
“Why would I want to do that? I’m having a baby not becoming an invalid.” She caressed his jaw. “But thank you for caring.”
“Of course, I care.” Too much. It was becoming very easy to fall in love with his new wife. He couldn’t. Wouldn’t. It would be unfaithful to Dorothy.
CHAPTER 6
As soon as they got home the girls couldn’t wait to get the puppies up to their room. They scooped up each pup and ran into the house.
“Be careful, don’t run. Don’t take those dogs in the house they need baths. Girls!” Sarah called after them. They ignored her in their haste.
She closed her eyes and shook her head in exasperation. He knew how she felt, but he was still feeling grateful that this episode in his life could finally be put behind him. He had his little girl back.
Sarah went in the house with the three empty pie pans. It hadn’t taken long for her pies to disappear. Now everyone knew what a gem of a cook he’d married. She was so much more than a cook. His conscience said. But there was still a part of him that loved Dorothy and was loyal to her. Dorothy was gone and Sarah was here. She wasn’t going anywhere.
“You have to go get those dogs and bathe them. I’ll start some water. But they need to go outside. Now.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, I’m on my way.”
The girls came downstairs leading their puppies by the rope the farmer gave them.
“What do you girls have to say to your Mama?” asked John.
“We’re sorry,” they said in unison.
“For…,” prompted John.
“For bringing the puppies in the house after you said not to.”
“And…,” said John.
MaryAnn and Katy hung their heads. “We’ll give them baths before we bring them back in.”
“Thank you, ladies. Now take them outside.”
The girls perked up a little bit and led the puppies outside.
“The water will be hot in a few minutes. I’ll bring it out while you get the tub.”
“Should you be carrying things, with the baby and all?”
“I’m pregnant not disabled. I’m fine. You just get the tub.”
“Okay.”
He got the tub and put it in the middle of the yard. Then he put in a bucket of cold water. Sarah carried out the two buckets of hot water. He put one in the tub and left the other out to rinse them with.
“MaryAnn let’s do your pup first.”
“We don’t want this to get wet.” John took the rope off and handed it to her. She handed it to Katy so she could help wash her puppy.
John picked up the dog and put it in the water. They were still small, only about six weeks old, so he couldn’t get out though he yelped and tried to.
“Daddy, he doesn’t like it. Let him out,” cried MaryAnn.
“Not until he’s clean. You want him to be able to sleep with you don’t you?”
“Yes.” Her little voice was so sad, John almost felt sorry for her.
“Well, he has to have a bath first. Now hand me the soap.”
She handed it to him. He rubbed the soap as best he could over the squirming pup. Luckily he was still small and John could hold him in one hand and soap him with the other.
That didn’t mean he didn’t get wet. The pup struggled and splashed and by the time he was done with both dogs, he was as wet as they were.
He wrapped the clean, wet dog in a towel and handed it to MaryAnn.
“Now take him upstairs to your bedroom and dry him off. Don’t let him down out here he’ll get all muddy and we’ll have to do it all over again.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” she said as she took the puppy in her arms.
Then he did the same thing to the other dog.
“Here you go, Katydid. Your pup is a girl so you might want to think of a girl’s name for her.”
She nodded and wrapped her arms around the puppy before she rushed into the house.
Sarah stood on the porch waiting for him with a towel, a dry shirt and a smile from ear to ear.
“It wasn’t that funny.”
“You weren’t watching. It was much more fun for Bertha and me than it was for you.”
“Dang dogs. Already more trouble than their worth,” he grumbled.
“Aw. You know they’re worth every drop of water you wore just to see the smiles on the girls faces.”
“Hrumpt,” he said as he put on the clean shirt. “We’ll see.”
Later that afternoon there were wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. He went in to see what wonders Sarah was baking. She was just getting a cookie sheet out of the oven. The table was covered in dish towels and cookies were cooling. She had six cookie sheets going. Two with cookies to go into the oven, two on the table cooling and two just coming out of the oven. She set those two on the table. Put the ones with cookies on them in the oven and took the cookies off the two that had been cooling. Then she took those to the counter and cut out more sugar cookies to bake.
“You’ve been busy.”
She turned at the sound of his voice. “Well, hello there. You’ve been in your office all afternoon. I was going to bring you some coffee and cookies. Do you want some?”
“You bet. But I’ll get them.” He poured a cup of coffee and sat at the end of the table with the cooled cookies. “How are you feeling? You’re not wearing yourself out are you?”
“I’m fine. I love to bake. It relaxes me and everyone enjoys my treats so much. It’s very gratifying. I used to think of opening a bakery. But that was just a dream. Now I can make people happy this way.”
“Well, never let it be said that I don’t let a woman do what she loves to do. Especially when I reap the benefits.” He grabbed another cookie and left to go to the barn. Just as he stepped out the kitchen door he noticed a buggy racing up the driveway. He walked out to the front of the house to greet the guest.
The buggy rocked to a stop right in front of John.
“Hello, stranger, going a little fast there. I’ve got children and would appreciate if you wouldn’t run them down in your hurry.”
The man got out of the still rocking conveyance.
“I’m looking for Sarah Johnson. I was told I could find her here.”
“Sarah Atwood lives here.”
“That’s right. She is married now isn’t she? Well, that’s of little consequence to me. Would you get her?”
“Who are you and why should I get my wife?”
“I’m William Grayson, her cousin.”
John looked the man over. Sarah hadn’t said much about her previous life. Maybe he was what she was running from, enough to answer an advertisement for a mail order bride.
“You stay here. I’ll see if she wants to see you.”
John found Sarah still in the kitchen baking cookies.
“Sarah. There’s someone he
re to see you. He says he’s your cousin, William Grayson.”
“William? What in the world would he be doing here. I can’t imagine him in the west. He’s too…well, he’s just too citified to come here.”
She wiped her hands on a towel and went with John to the front. When she stepped onto the porch and saw him she was genuinely surprised.
“William? What are you doing here?” she said as she walked down the steps to greet him.
“I came to get you and bring you home.” He beat his hat on his pants. Dust flew everywhere.
She stopped at the bottom of the porch stairs. “Have you lost your mind? I am home. This is my home now. Not New York and never with you.” Sarah stayed where she was with John next to her. She didn’t go anywhere near her cousin. She had been running from him.
“Have you told him?” he sneered.
“Told him?”
“Told him about you. About MaryAnn.”
John looked at Sarah. All the blood had drained from her face. She turned to him, “I….”
“So you haven’t told him that you were never married. That MaryAnn is a bastard.”
“William, how could you say that? You’re a cruel and evil man. I’m sorry I’m related to you.”
“There’s no need to be upset. Of course, she told me. We don’t have secrets from each other. We’re married.”
Anger pulsed through him. She should have told him before they married. It should have been his decision to wed her or not. Not that he would have turned her away. Once he’d seen her, he could never turn her away. But she didn’t know that. He guessed that was the point. She was afraid he’d turn her away. She’d never actually said she was married, but she answered to Missus and she wore a wedding ring. What was he supposed to think?
“Now, Mr. Grayson, I suggest that you take your leave before I have to shoot you for trespassing.” He touched the Colt on his hip.
“One last chance Sarah, come home with me. Come back to where you belong.” He waved his hand taking in his surroundings. “Not this God forsaken place in the middle of nowhere.”
“This is my home. I’m not leaving but you are. Get in that buggy and get off my property or,” she grabbed John’s gun from his holster and aimed it at William, “I swear I’ll shoot you myself.”
“You’ll regret this, Sarah.”
Furious, he leaped into the buggy. Standing, reins were taken in both hands and lifted above his head. In one savage motion he brought them down upon both horses. The start was so violent Grayson would have been thrown backward all the way to the ground had the reins not stopped him. The yank on the reins, of course, brought the team to a halt.
Grayson’s rage had not subsided be he did manage to regain some self control. This time he sat down and slapped the horses smartly. He drove them in a tight right turn and headed for the front gate. Taking the buggy whip from beside the seat he cracked both horses twice before even reaching the gate.
Sarah let her arms fall and her head with them. Tears ran down her face. “I’ll take that now.” He gently took the gun from her.
She looked up at him, tears streaked her beautiful face. “John, I’m sorry, so very sorry. I should have told you, but I was afraid….”
“You should have told me. It was my decision to make. Me to decide if and how your background would affect me.” He spat the words at her, knowing they would hurt. He wanted to hurt her, like he hurt now. She didn’t trust him.
“Everything I told you was true. I never said I was married. I let you assume it, which is just as bad. Lee and I were days from being wed. But they didn’t care…his superiors…they wouldn’t even allow us the time to do it that day. It’s the God damned army and the war that kept me from being a bride. That caused me to live in fear every time I went anywhere in New York. And Mrs. Selby knew. I didn’t lie to her. She knew everything but you’re right, I should have told you. And you’re probably right to reject me.”
“I didn’t say I was rejecting you. Nor would I have rejected you had I known, but you didn’t give me the chance.”
“But you are. You’re pushing me away, I can feel it. I’d hoped this baby would bring us closer. But I can’t overcome the ghosts of the dead. Dorothy will always have your heart. And now this on top of that. I don’t know if I can live like that. Live in a house where I’m not wanted.”
“Sarah…”
She went inside, up to their room and slammed the door.
The smell of burning cookies came from the kitchen.
He closed his eyes. “Well, hell.”
* * *
Yes, she’d been wrong to withhold the information. Yes, it should have been his decision but by his own account he wouldn’t have rejected her. So why was he now?
She’d come out of their bedroom long enough to cook and serve supper, then retreated there once again. Now it was bedtime and she expected John to come up soon, after he put the girls to bed.
She got out her nightgown and robe and put them on.
He came into the room. “The girls wondered where you were at supper. I told them you weren’t feeling well.”
“I guess you didn’t lie to them. Anger is a form of not feeling well.”
“What do you have to be angry about? I’m the one who was made a fool of.” He sat on the bed and took off his boots.
“Made a fool of? What haven’t I done that you asked for now or in your letters to Mrs. Selby? What aren’t you getting out of this farce of a marriage? You get to bed me every night. I’ve given you and your employees palatable food to eat. Our daughters are best friends and doing better than either of them were before. And we have another child on the way. So what aren’t you getting?”
“I’m not getting a wife I can trust.” He stood, took off his shirt.
“And that’s what’s between us, keeping you from loving me? A lack of trust? Well, I wish I could trust you, with my heart, but you’d just stomp on it like you do to everyone who tries to get close to you. Maybe Katy would’ve talked if you’d spent some time with her.”
“That’s enough,” he yelled. “Leave Katy out of this.”
She took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. This is about you and me, not our girls.”
“Yes, it is.” He reached for his belt and undid it, dropping his pants to the floor.
“You might as well leave those on. If you think we’re having sex tonight, you’re dead wrong.”
“Why? Because you’re angry?”
“Yes. Dammit. I don’t want you anywhere near me. I’m leaving.”
“And going where?”
“I’ll sleep in MaryAnn’s room. She and Katy share Katy’s room as it is.”
“That’s the puppies’ room.”
She stared at him. Couldn’t believe what he’d just said. “Did you just tell me I couldn’t sleep in another room because it belonged to the puppies?”
“Yes.”
She laughed. Try as she might, she couldn’t help it. It was so stupid. This whole situation was stupid.
When she looked up at John, he had a smile on his face, too.
“What are we going to do about this? Neither one of us was very open or very trusting. You about Dorothy and me about…well me. If you can’t love me, why should I stay? Tell me, John. Why?”
“For our girls.”
She bit back the tears. “For our girls.”
“And the baby that you carry.”
“Can you tell me that we should really be bringing a baby into this mess? That we should subject another person to our mock marriage.”
He sat down on the bed and scrubbed his face with his hands. “There has to be a way. Come to bed.”
“No.” She tied her robe. “I’m sleeping in the doghouse, where I belong.” She took one of the lamps, walked quietly out of the room and down the hall to MaryAnn’s bedroom. The room was empty, as she suspected it would be. The pups were sleeping with their little mistresses. She tiptoed across the hall and opened the
door to the girl’s bedroom. Sure enough there were both little girls and the two dogs sleeping soundly. One of the pups raised its head but went back to sleep when he saw she presented no threat.
Sarah smiled, closed the door and went back across the hall and crawled into the bed.
* * *
She woke to strong arms picking her up out of bed. “What? What are you doing?” she asked as she automatically put her arms around his neck. “John, what are you doing?”
“We may be many things to each other and we may be angry with each other, but you are my wife and you will sleep in my bed. No one is going to suspect we aren’t the happily married couple that we were earlier today.” He carried her back to their room and dropped her on the bed. He had his drawers on so at least he wasn’t running around the house naked.
“I’m not going to make love to you,” she said.
“I’m not asking you to.” He got into bed and pulled her into his side.
She didn’t stop him. Didn’t ask what the heck he thought he was doing. She understood. He was used to her. Used to her sleeping with him. He couldn’t sleep without her.
It was a start.
CHAPTER 7
It was a brutal, bloody trek back to Golden City. Upon arrival at the stables the owner of the team threatened to shoot Grayson when he saw the condition of the horses.
“I will never rent you another animal and if I even see you get near a horse you will be the one tasting this whip!”
Grayson soothed his rage with a five dollar gold piece and then went straight to the Chicago Saloon and a glass of the rot gut they called whiskey.
After his third whiskey a plan began to emerge. He would have Sarah or no one would. He called the barkeep over.
“Where would I go to find men to do a job for me?”
“What kind of job?”
“One they won’t ask questions about.”
“Go to Spurs. Two streets north, in the alley on the right side of the street. Tell the bartender, Joe sent you.”
“Thank you, my good man.” He gave Joe a dollar for his trouble and his silence. Then he headed out the door to Spurs.”
Spurs was as disreputable a place as William had ever been in. No one looked up when he entered. Preferring instead to keep their heads down and concentrate on their drinks. There were no girls and no music. This was a place for drinking. Period.
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