“I know, I know.” Hank set his half-finished coffee down on the dry sink near Madeline. “Thanks for the coffee.”
Madeline smiled. “Any time.” She looked over to Caleb. “I’ll get the spare room ready for her. George can help me.”
George looked up at hearing his name. “I like to help!” he exclaimed excitedly.
Madeline smiled at her nephew. “I know you do! You can help me make up the bed.”
Just as the men were ready to head outside, a thought crossed her mind. “Hank, you haven’t even told us her name.”
Hank thought that over for a minute. “Well, she didn’t give me her last name. I think she’s afraid her step-father might find her if she does. Her name is Josephine, but she likes to be called Josie.”
Madeline smiled. “That’ll do. Now you two get to work and let George and me get ready for our guest,” she teased as she shooed them out the door.
Hank sighed with relief as he followed Caleb outside and shut the door. That had gone better than he hoped it would. Now if he could only convince Josie to stay, everything would be perfect.
As they walked to the barn, Hank decided that now was as good a time as any to bring up his imminent move. “Caleb, I’ve been doing some thinking.”
Caleb glanced at his long-time friend, who was more like a brother to him than not. “That can’t be good,” he teased with a grin.
Hank gave his friend a playful shove. “I’m serious. I decided to take a homestead. I got the section just to the west of the ranch. I thought that maybe we could become partners. We could increase the range, just like you’re always talking about, and I could help out more, too.”
Caleb held the door to the barn open for Hank as he thought about his friend’s proposal. “Except for yesterday, you already help out as much as any man could.”
Normally Hank appreciated the friendly banter, but today his nerves were a bit on edge. “Well, do you think it’s a good idea or not?”
Caleb laughed out loud. “Of course, I do. I’ve been wanting to ask you to become my partner, but didn’t know how to bring it up! This is perfect! Especially with you getting married soon, and all.”
“You’re not mad that I’ll be leaving Ben’s place, then? I know you were countin’ on me taking care of it for George.”
Caleb made a dismissive noise as he moved to begin getting the sleigh ready. “We can have one of the others move in. Don’t worry about that.”
“Thanks, Caleb.” Hank smiled as they worked together to get the sleigh ready to pick up his fiancé. Now that things were settled with Caleb, he could focus on his future with Josie in their new house—assuming she agreed to marry him, that is.
Chapter 4
Josephine spent the morning scrubbing the floors and washing the windows. While she scrubbed, she gave considerable thought to Hank’s marriage proposal. She imagined what life with Hank would be like. He seemed to be a kind and practical man. The fact that he was handsome had no bearing on his character whatsoever, yet Josephine had to admit to herself that it certainly did not hurt his case any.
She imagined what their children might look like and blushed as she did so. Growing up as an only child left Josephine feeling lonely much of the time. She vowed long ago that she would have at least two children when she grew up, God willing, but secretly hoped for many more than that. Having a large family was very important to her. She hoped that it was just as important to Hank.
She also imagined what their future house might look like and tried to picture her perfect kitchen in her mind. If she did marry Hank, she was certain he would allow her to help design the home. She did not need a large kitchen, but she did want to have certain features in it, such as a well pump like this kitchen had. She also liked how there was a stairwell in it that led down to the root cellar.
Then she imagined what her life might be like if she did not marry Hank. Not one of those imaginings turned out well for her. In one, she ended up married to a man like her step-father and was abused the rest of her life. In another, she ended up working in a saloon as a soiled dove. Yet another left her dead on the side of the road. No, nothing good came to mind when she considered traveling on from here.
By the time the last floor had been scrubbed clean and the last window washed, she had made up her mind to accept his proposal. She carried the bucket of dirty water back to the kitchen and was about to put on her coat to throw the water into the yard when her eye caught movement outside the window.
Her heart leapt into her throat. For a moment, she thought her step-father had found her and was there to drag her back home. That is precisely what he would have to do to get her to go with him. She would never go willingly.
She huffed a warm breath at the frost on the window and apprehensively peered through the clear hole she had made. She had not realized that she was holding her breath until she breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized Hank’s coat and hat. Her brow furrowed as she noticed that he was riding alongside a man in a sleigh. Who on earth could he have with him? She chewed her lip nervously as she waited for Hank to come inside, the dirty water bucket at her feet now forgotten.
Josephine paced between the door and the stove, wringing her hands anxiously. She was certain that the man in the sleigh was not her step-father. However, that did not mean he was not someone sent by her step-father to bring her home. Hank had reassured her he would not send her back, so who could this man be?
After what felt like an eternity, but in reality was merely a minute, Hank opened the back door and he and the stranger filed in. Both men nearly kicked over the bucket of dirty water that she had left near the door, but thankfully its contents remained where they belonged.
Hank quickly closed the door against the cold wind that swirled in with them and the men removed their hats. Hank hung his on a peg while the stranger held his in his hand.
Hank’s heart melted a little when he saw Josephine standing near the stove and he smiled. “Josie, I’d like you to meet Caleb Stark. He’s the one I was telling you about. Caleb, this is Josephine.”
Caleb quickly looked the young woman over and nodded a polite hello. “Ma’am.”
Josephine nervously nodded back. “Mr. Stark.”
At that, Caleb grinned. “Nah, Mr. Stark was my father. Everyone just calls me Caleb.”
Josephine smiled and relaxed a little. Caleb seemed like a nice man. She realized it should not have surprised her as much as it did. Hank did say they were good friends and she liked Hank well enough. A little more than well enough, truth be told, though she could not say why.
“I told Caleb and Maddy about you and your situation. They both think that it’s best you stay with them instead of alone with me.” Hank still hated the thought of Josephine leaving, but he understood the necessity of it all. He secretly hoped that she would insist on marrying him right away instead, but he knew that was not realistic.
Josephine’s eyes flew from one man to the other as her heart began to race. Hank had promised that he would keep her safe and now here he was, telling her that she had to leave him?
Hank hated the look of fear and shock that sprang into Josephine’s eyes. He knew that he had promised to keep her safe, and that was precisely what he was trying to do. Could she not see that he was trying to protect her reputation?
Caleb saw the fear and hesitation in Josephine’s eyes and decided to try a different tactic to convince her.
“Miss Josephine, it would honestly be a huge help to us if you could come and stay with us for a bit. My wife is expecting and she doesn’t say so, but I can tell that she’s having a rough time of it, especially in the mornings. My nephew can be quite a handful when he wants to be.”
Josephine chewed her lip nervously. She knew that it was not proper for her to be staying here with Hank, but she felt so safe when she was with him. Yet he was gone for most of the day when he was working. He told her as much. Perhaps she would be better off staying with this Madeline and helping
the woman out as much as she could.
She looked from Hank to Caleb and back again and, taking a deep breath, gave them her decision. “All right. I’ll go.”
Caleb smiled broadly as he thought of his sweet Maddy having some help around the house. “Thank you, Miss Josephine.”
She forced a little smile in response to be polite. “Of course. Would…if it would be all right, could Hank and I have a moment alone before we go?”
Caleb nodded and turned toward the door.
“No!” Josephine exclaimed. “Don’t go out into the cold. We can just talk in the other room. It’ll only take a minute.”
Hank shrugged at Caleb and followed Josephine into the dining room. He really hated to see Josephine go, yet if Madeline was as bad off as Caleb had made it sound, he was pleased that Josie could help her out. He certainly did not want to tarnish her reputation by having her stay with him.
When the door to the dining room closed, both Josephine and Hank tried to speak at the same time, which caused quiet nervous laughter to erupt from each of them. Next came the inevitable gesturing and mumbling of, “You first,” “No, you,” which led to more chuckles.
Hank finally ended the dilemma with a gentle, but firm, “Ladies first.”
Josephine smiled at the man she had grown to trust so much in such a small amount of time. After the way her step-father had treated her, she had not been certain she would ever trust a man again. Yet, after knowing Hank for what was in effect only a day, she felt like she had known him her entire life. She was not certain she could trust her feelings, but they had honestly never led her astray before.
“I wanted to thank you, both for saving me and for your hospitality,” she began, nervous about what she really wanted to say.
As she expected, Hank brushed it off with a shrug. “Only did what was right.”
“Be that as it may, I still wanted to thank you. And…” She cleared her throat nervously before she continued. “I…I thought about your proposal, almost non-stop since you asked me, and I have an answer.”
Hank looked up into her beautiful blue eyes and swallowed hard. He was certain he had never been more nervous in his entire life than he was in that moment. She held his future in her delicate hands. He could not speak, even if he wanted to.
Josephine nervously straightened her skirts as she gathered her courage and tried to form her words properly. Her heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it might burst free of her chest. “I’d be honored to become your wife.”
Hank just stood there and blinked for a moment while her words sunk in. “You…you will? You would?” He shook his head in an effort for the right words to come. “You’ll marry me?”
She smiled nervously and nodded. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Hank wanted to let out a loud whoop, scoop her up in his arms, and spin her around. He wanted to reach out and take her in his arms and kiss her. Instead, he stood as still as a statue with a smile plastered across his face as he envisioned doing both.
Josephine stood for a moment and watched the emotions play across Hank’s face. Her future husband’s face. The thought both thrilled and terrified her. Seeing that he did not appear to be making a move, she stepped forward and gently kissed his cheek. She had never seen a grown man blush before, but that is precisely what he did now.
When she kissed him, Hank thought he had died and gone to heaven. If a kiss on his cheek could do that to him, what on earth would a real kiss do? He grinned stupidly, incapable of doing anything else at the moment.
It was not until Josephine made a move toward the door that he managed to come to his senses. He reached out and gently grabbed her arm as she turned to go. “When?”
Josephine blinked. “When will I marry you?” At his nod, she considered his question thoughtfully. She had thought they would need to marry right away, given that she had been living in his home. However, now that she would be staying with Madeline and Caleb, she loved the idea of having some time to get to know him better first.
After a full minute of thinking about it, she replied, “How about when spring comes? Once all the snow has melted and you can start to work on our house.”
When she mentioned spring, Hank’s heart sank. He was hoping she would want to marry immediately. He certainly wanted to. Then he took a moment to think about what she had said. She did not say to wait until he had their house built, just until he had started it. Then the words “our house” really sunk in and he grinned.
“I suppose by then Madeline will be feeling better. And I can stop in to see you after work each day. Maybe even stay for dinner? That way we could work on plans for the house.” He loved the thought of sitting down together and planning out what their home would look like. He was certain that she would have some good ideas.
Josephine nodded and smiled. “I’d like that very much. I…we’d better get going. I’d hate to leave Mr. …I mean, Caleb…standing there much longer. I’m sure you both need to get back to work.”
Hank nodded, but stopped her once again. “I…I wanted to thank you.” At her questioning look, he smiled. “I saw all the hard work you’ve done cleaning this morning. Thank you.”
She blushed a little and nodded. He had no idea how therapeutic cleaning could be, that much was clear. It had helped her to focus her thoughts and come to her decision to marry him. “You’re welcome.”
“I’ll take care of the dirty bucket of water if you want to gather your things. We’ll meet you back in the kitchen.” At her nod, he took her hand in his and kissed it softly before holding the door open for her. As she walked through the door, he could not help but smile. She had said yes. All was right with his world.
*****
Josephine rubbed her hand as she walked upstairs to gather her few belongings. It still tingled pleasantly where Hank had kissed it. A smile played across her face as she bundled her extra clothes in her shawl. If his kissing her hand left her feeling this good, she could only hope that a real kiss would be even better.
Hank had told her that he wanted her help in planning out what their home would look like. The thought of doing so was almost as thrilling as the thought that he wanted her input. He had called it their home, not his home. He already thought of them as a couple.
Now if only she could keep her dark family secret just that, a secret, everything would be perfect. Her step-father was the only one alive who knew of it, so as long as he stayed far away, her secret would be safe. She hated to keep anything from Hank, but she and her family had learned the hard way how unforgiving society at large could be. There was no telling how anyone here in Chimney Rock would react to such news.
She quickly finished getting her things together and tied the three ends of her shawl together to form a package. She stood a moment in the doorway of her little room and took it all in. The next time she saw this room, she would be Mrs. Hank Sanders and this would just be a spare bedroom. Butterflies flew through her stomach at the thought.
She hurried downstairs, anxious to not keep the men waiting. She was not certain what the men did on a ranch, much less in the dead of winter, but she knew they would have to get back to work soon. The sun set so early this time of year, so their time outdoors was limited.
She walked into the kitchen to find Hank waiting for her, her coat in his hands. The bucket of dirty water was gone, and said bucket was now sitting on its shelf near the door. Through the window, she could see Caleb waiting outside near the sleigh.
“Got everything?” Hank asked, his voice thick with emotion. He really hated to see her leave, but he knew it was for the best. They would introduce her to the town on Sunday at church, and it thrilled him that she would be introduced as his fiancé.
Josephine nodded as she placed her bundle on the table. “It’s all here.”
Hank helped her into her coat and watched as she put on her scarf, hat, and gloves. He desperately wanted to ask her to stay, propriety be damned, but he already cared for her too much to do tha
t. She was his Josephine, and only the best would do for her.
When she was fully bundled against the cold, she picked up her bundle of clothes and nodded to Hank that she was ready. Her stomach twisted in knots, both at the thought of leaving Hank and at the thought of meeting Madeline. She hoped that they would become good friends. She had not had any friends since her family left Wisconsin.
Hank moved to her side and gave her a fierce bear hug, which ended with a kiss to the top of her head. “When we get to Caleb’s, I’ll have to head back out right away. Caleb already invited me to dinner, so I’ll see you when we’re done working for the day. Caleb will introduce you to Maddy. All right?”
Josephine nodded and clutched her bundle tightly. With one last look back to the kitchen, she walked through the door that Hank had opened for her.
As she stepped outside, the cold air prickled her nose and stung her eyes. She pulled her scarf up higher on her face, so that only her eyes peered through from underneath her hat.
Hank took her hand and helped her into the sleigh. “There’s a big heated rock at your feet to help keep warm,” he informed her as he tucked a thick fur-lined blanket around her.
“Thank you,” she mumbled through her scarf as she snuggled under the blanket, her bundle of belongings on her lap.
Caleb got in the sleigh alongside her, tucked the blanket around his legs as well, and with a gentle slap of the leads, they were off.
Hank quickly mounted his horse and rode alongside them. He was glad that Rusty knew the way and was happy enough to follow the team pulling the sleigh, as his mind was focused solely on his beautiful bride-to-be riding along in the sleigh beside him.
They rode in silence, each person lost in their own thoughts. The muffled sound of horse hooves in the snow, the slicing sound of the sleigh runners, an occasional nicker of a horse, and the occasional creak of leather were the only sounds heard on the ride to the ranch.
They appeared to be on the main road heading toward town. The shape of Chimney Rock itself loomed in the distance, growing closer as they went. They followed a line of barbed wire fencing that stretched from the barn at Hank’s house to the horizon.
Hank's Runaway Bride (Brides of Chimney Rock Book 1) Page 5