“Is that why you wanted to come to the lumber camp for a job? Because you’re an orphan?” She heard the confusion in his voice.
“No, not exactly.” Carlene explained about her intention to work at the hotel and went on to share the details of the conversation she had overheard. Though it was difficult for her to see most of his expressions by the moonlight, she did feel him stiffen next to her when she spoke about Mr. Halderson’s plan to send her to a brothel.
Carlene felt the need to defend her decision to travel to a strange place to find work. “I’d read about forced prostitution in Northern Wisconsin and Michigan. I really thought that I would be safe working at a reputable hotel. None of the articles I studied mentioned anything about hotels as being a dangerous place for young women to work, only those theaters I’d read about.”
“Well ma’am, seems you can’t just go by what you read.”
For a girl who collected newspaper clippings, his words were a stab to her heart. Newspaper articles had been her world beyond the orphanage. To doubt them would declare her world a fake.
She didn’t know how to respond to him. Changing the subject seemed best, especially since she was so worried. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you going to tell anyone about me?”
A moment of silence hung between them. She heard a small splash in the lake, probably made by a jumping fish. A loon gave its forlorn call.
“Carlene. No, Maybe I’d better still call you Carl to keep in practice.” He punctuated his comment with a snort. “You can’t stay here. One of these men is sure to find you out. From those articles you’ve read, you must know what they’d do to you.”
Why wouldn’t he give her a straight answer? If her leg didn’t throb, she would jump up and down in frustration! As it was, she knew she would fall if she tried doing something so childish.
“Well Mr. Know-It-All, what do you suggest?” There. Throw it back at him so he can see how impossible it is for me to leave.
He had an answer ready for her and it surprised her. “Trust me to take you back to Idyll Wood.”
She immediately objected so he put a hand on her arm to stop her commenting. “No, just listen. I know a safe place for you to work, helping a couple who own a farm.” His voice gave off such a sense of confidence that she felt herself being lulled into accepting the idea.
“You sound so sure that they’d help me.” She chewed on the edge of one finger, trying to find that logical part of her mind that might not be easily swayed by a tender, protective man.
She’d watched him behave very differently from the other men over the last few weeks. She’d even comforted him like a mother while he battled his demons in his sleep. She had been the one who put a tender hand to his brow to settle him when his cries of anguish awakened her and had brought her to his tent. Perhaps it was because of those reasons that she trusted him.
“Manly, I’m desperate for somewhere safe. If you fail me, as God is my wit…”
He cut her off by moving his hand down her arm to grasp her hand. “It will be fine. Just be ready to ride in the morning. We’ll ask for our wages and go.”
“Won’t Jorgensen think it’s odd if we leave together?” She shouldn’t be so worried about what others thought. Still, a lifetime with the nuns left her wanting to please the people around her.
“Who cares? After all, we came together.” He placed an arm behind her legs as if to pick her up again. She stopped him by taking a hop-step away from him.
“Please just find me a strong branch to use as a cane. With that, I’m sure I’ll get back to camp just fine.” He’d touched her enough. She didn’t want to become any more dependent or attached to him. Every time he touched her, a longing for a future filled with love and a family seemed to fill her head and her heart.
Since white pine made up most of the woods, a sturdy stick would be hard to find. It took Manly a while and Carlene thought about washing her dirty clothes while he searched. In the end, it seemed silly to wash clothes and then have to travel with them wet. She bundled them together and lay down on the shore. Pillowing her head on them, she listened to the soothing night calls coming from the North Woods.
Manny had gotten very little sleep after returning to his tent last night. Dread filled his mind. The Hoffmans certainly didn’t owe his family any debt of gratitude. His father had fired the man who had turned out to be Mrs. Hoffman’s nephew. (He still wasn’t sure why they had hidden the family connection.) Also, his brother had tried to harm the Hoffmans’ family friend, Zelly Fuller.
Would they look past that to help a young girl in need? He could tell them what a good worker she was. Certainly, once they learned about Halderson’s threat, they would take her in.
Lying on his cot, Manny stared out the open flap at the dawn coloring the sky a soft pink. Most of the men pointed their tent openings to the west so the morning sun wouldn’t bother them. They wanted those few last precious moments of sleep each day. Not Manny. He loved to know that the terrors of the night were finally over.
Truth to tell, he wasn’t sure what he would do once he returned to Idyll Wood. The idea of taking Carlene to the Hoffmans and leaving again didn’t sit well with him. After cradling her in his arms, he felt a connection to her.
To be honest, I think that connection started when I gave her a ride all those weeks ago.
He wanted to stay close to her, to get better acquainted with her. Something about her stirred feelings of tenderness and a longing to be a better man. It might merely be fanciful to think that she represented his best hope for a happy future. Still, he decided to find a way to stay in Idyll Wood and prove whether or not his whimsy was right.
Now that it was dawn, Manny had enough light to work by and packed his few things. He cleared out the tent he’d been forced to rent, reducing the amount of wage he’d earned. It didn’t matter to him though. He never went to town to spend his money.
With his saddlebags packed and Brownie saddled, Manny decided it was time to speak with Jorgensen. He walked to the log building that served as the camp store as well as the foreman’s quarters and peeked in the open door. Inside, he saw Jorgensen shaving by the weak morning light from the building’s only window. Manny had always found it odd that in a camp full of bearded men, Jorgensen insisted on being cleanly shaven daily.
“What ya need Manly?” Jorgensen didn’t look his way, concentrating inside on his reflection in the small mirror hung by a peg on the wall.
Manny decided to get straight to the point. “I’m headed out today. So is Carl. We need our wages.”
“What ya need to leave like that for? I’m counting on both of you.” Jorgensen had set his straight razor down on a nearby table and looked menacingly at him. Manny, however, was determined not to be intimidated. Carlene depended on him.
It was like the thought of her had conjured her before him. Except the figure he saw was certainly not the Carl he had gotten to know over the last month.
She stood before him in a faded gray dress. It should have made her dowdy. Instead, just seeing her clothed in female garments made her seem beautiful to him. It also made him feel foolish that he once believed this lovely woman was a boy.
Jorgensen, too, looked the window at Carlene with wonder. With a whistle, he turned to Manny. “I see why you gotta leave. Let me finish my shave and I’ll get the money for you.”
Satisfied, Manny left him and walked to Carlene. He reached for her carpetbag. “Let me hook that onto the saddle. We’re about done here.”
She nodded. “I’ll see what food I can get to take along.”
He watched her limp away on her injured leg, unwilling or unable to tear his eyes away from her shapely backside. Being such a tiny woman, she was a pocket Venus. It wasn’t her prettiness alone that attracted him. She needed him, which made him feel powerful and manly.
As she walked across the camp dressed as a woman, she caused a stir amongst the men. Manny knew he was getting her out of camp none too soon an
d wiped away the sudden sweat that formed on his forehead even with the chill of the morning.
Chapter 4
Manny felt like ants crawled through his body, especially in spots touched by Carlene’s arms and hands as she clung to him. She held tight and leaned into his back, her face pressed between his shoulder blades.
He tried to keep his mind off of her sweet touch. He hadn’t been held or touched much in his life. It was no wonder his rebellious mind kept going back the wonder of having her behind him as they rode toward the town he wanted to avoid. He had promised himself not to return until he had become a man his father could respect.
After they riding in silence for about an hour, Manny decided conversation might take his mind off of the feelings she stirred in him. “You remember I told you I had a place to take you to?”
Carlene must have been sleeping. He felt her jerk at the sound of his voice and whisper, “What?”
“Sorry to wake you. Thought maybe you wanted to know about the people I’m taking you to.” He felt bad about waking her. It never entered his mind that she had been cuddling so tightly to his back because she was napping. He had hoped her cuddling meant she liked being with him. What a dreamer he was!
“Okay. I was dozing since I didn’t sleep last night. Too much on my mind.” She whispered her response as if sharing a confidence. Or maybe she spoke softly because she really was that tired.
“It’s a long ride. Want to unload some of those thoughts?” Manny’s voice held what he hoped was a coaxing tone.
“Oh, I don’t know. Just wondered what I’d do if you left me in the camp.” She faltered as she said that, her hesitancy evident.
Manny felt sad that she didn’t trust him. Still, he figured she didn’t have a reason to, yet. “I’m making sure you’ll be safe before I leave you. The Hoffmans are the family I’ll take you to.” He paused, letting her ask questions. When she was quiet, he continued.
“A friend of mine lived with them. Their daughter has married and left so I am betting they need a chore girl.”
He fell silent then, letting her think about what he was proposing for her future. Her response confused him.
“I’ve never read about white slavers luring girls with the promise of working on a farm.” She didn’t explain her odd statement.
Manny thought for a moment, trying to find the logic in her statement. “Not sure I know what you’re talking about.” He struggled to keep the frustration out of his voice.
“You know. In the newspaper.” No, Manny didn’t know and rarely read anything, much less the newspaper.
“You’re going to have to explain a little more. I don’t read the paper much.” He hoped that would be enough to prod her into a giving lengthier explanation. This girl certainly wasn’t one to talk a body’s ear off.
“I read the paper a lot. I love it. And I cut out articles to add to my collection.” When Manny made a sound like uh-huh, she continued.
“Anyway, lots has been written lately about how white slavers are tricking girls into coming north to be waitresses or work in theaters. I haven’t read anything about chore girls or farm workers being taken so I guess it’ll be okay to work for the Hoffmans.”
As she spoke, she squeezed him more tightly around his waist. Carlene might say it would be all right. Her action told him that she was frightened. Truth be told, he was afraid too.
Not of the Hoffmans. No, he was afraid of facing his father again. Of his father thinking he had returned because he couldn’t handle the job at the lumber camp. He feared that being around his old friends might cause him to start drinking again. That terrified him even more than the thought of facing his father.
He wanted to comfort her somehow. Even while he was trying to convince himself that everything would be fine once they returned to Idyll Wood, he wanted to find the words to make her happy. While searching his mind for what to say, hoofbeats approaching them quickly from the rear jolted him.
He pulled the horse to the side of the trail, not stopping but leaving enough room for the rider to pass them. He barely glanced at the other traveler when that man passed. Still, something about him seemed familiar. The horseman halted and wheeled back in their direction.
Manny felt Carlene stiffen behind him, probably in fear. Manny might have felt the same way if he didn’t know the man. Seeing the man coming directly at them, Manny recognized Sheriff Redmond from Idyll Wood. They were still a hard two hours’ ride from the town so Manny was surprised to see him. Also, the man had been riding from the north rather than from the direction of the town.
Once abreast of them, Redmond adjusted his horse’s gait to Brownie’s and greeted them. “Glad to see you Strong. You’re on my wanted list.” At this Carlene stiffened again and the arms that had been hugging Manny’s waist began to withdraw. He squeezed her arm with his free hand to halt her.
“Well now, it’s nice to be wanted by someone. Just what earned me a spot on your list?” Manny determined to force the sheriff to get right to his point to assure Carlene that he wasn’t a criminal.
The sheriff cleared his throat and seemed hesitant. “It’s about your brother. You know, Ram.”
Here Manny couldn’t help but chuckle. “I only have the one brother sheriff. So, what does he have to do with me?”
“Your pa won’t be too happy with me. I have to keep the law, though. I promised Hart I’d see your brother prosecuted.”
The lawman was doing a good job of beating around an invisible bush here, Manny thought impatiently. At least Carlene relaxed when she’d learned the problem involved something to do with Ram rather than himself. When neither he nor Carlene said anything, the sheriff continued.
“You see, Ram told the judge that I forced the confession. He says he never tried to harm Zelly Bahr. I wanted to ask you whether you truly witnessed Ram doing anything to Zelly…Hate to pit brother against brother here.”
“Don’t let it bother you. You won’t be harming a lot of close family ties, if you get my meaning.” Manny heard Carlene sigh sadly at his statement. “I left town to work. To try and earn my father’s respect. Don’t suppose I’ll ever be his pride and joy though.”
“As much as I want to do what’s right so I can at least be proud of myself,” here Manny paused and somehow felt strong when Carlene squeezed his waist in response to his words. Being around this girl and helping her was certainly proving good for his self-esteem. Continuing, he told the sheriff, “I have to confess that all I witnessed were threats.”
The sheriff nodded to acknowledge his words and then noticing the arms that circled the other man, he craned his head to peer behind Manny. “Good morning ma’am,” he greeted and tipped his low crowned hat.
Manny performed the introductions then. “Carlene January, this is Sheriff Tom Redmond from Idyll Wood. Sheriff, just so happens that my companion and I are headed back to Idyll Wood today.”
Carlene greeted the sheriff with a soft voice. Manny thought she might share her experience at Halderson’s hotel with him. When she didn’t, he decided he would bring it up. Before he could, however, the sheriff spoke.
“I’m heading there myself. I’ll ride along with you.” The sheriff would have made better time going ahead of them since they were riding double on a much slower horse so his decision this surprised Manny. He didn’t argue or assure the sheriff that they would be fine. Somehow, he thought that the lawman’s presence might reassure Carlene. Maybe he would even be able to get Redmond to tell Carlene about the Hoffman family so she would be more at ease with the thought of staying at their house.
“I left Land O’ Lakes early this morning. Knew you were staying in a lumber camp up by Eagle River so I stopped in to talk with you. The boss told me you’d left.”
Manny was surprised by this. “You knew I was working in a lumber camp? I didn’t tell anyone so how did you know?”
“No, not you. Miss January here is who I stopped into the camp to see. You were my bonus, Strong.” The sher
iff’s words created questions for Manny. When Carlene didn’t speak up, he did.
“How did you know about Miss January? Why did you want to speak with her?”
“There’re a couple of nuns in Idyll Wood who say they got a letter from her. This Sister Magdalena kicked up quite a fuss. Something about white slavers, arresting people, and Miss January.” The sheriff snorted as if either the thought of dealing with white slavers or the notion that he would arrest them for it was preposterous. “Anyways, I told her I’d check in at the lumber camp either on my way to or from Land O’ Lakes.”
“A divine appointment to see her, huh?” Manny snorted. “Why were you so far away from Idyll Wood?”
The sheriff growled two words, “Ada Fuller.” He paused to put a pinch of snuff between his lower lip and gums before speaking again. “Land O’ Lakes was her hometown. Thought I might get some answers about her up there.”
Manny twisted his head to peek back at Carlene. “Ada Fuller is a grumpy old woman who’s being held for murder. After two skeletons were found not far from her house, she all but confessed to the killing.” Carlene gasped at that. She didn’t ask any questions though. She was being remarkably taciturn. Manny wondered if it was because of the sheriff’s presence.
“Well, did you get any answers up there?” The citizens of Idyll Wood had wondered about Ada Fuller for years, partly because of her unfriendly behavior toward everyone.
“Yep, that woman left quite a reputation in town. Turns out she was well-known after trying to kill her younger sister when they were just little tykes. Threw her out the window of the barn loft. Folks said that sister, Elsie, was as sweet as Ada was mean.”
“Sounds like something she’d do.” After Ada’s arrest, Manny had heard a rumor around town about Ada having a sister who wasn’t right in the head. That must be the one the sheriff referred to.
“Course, turns out she really wasn’t Mrs. Fuller. Her sister married a man named Fuller. The only pastor in town’s been there for years. He told me that he performed the marriage of the sister, simple though she might have been, to Frank Fuller.”
Manny's Triumph: Sequel (Secrets In Idyll Wood Book 2) Page 3