Her laughter was contagious and soon both Hank and Caleb were laughing along with her. Hank loved that she found the humor in things like this. So many women would have been livid, but not his Josephine. He could only imagine what little Georgie’s face had looked like when he had been caught in the ashes.
Caleb managed to control his laughter enough to speak first. “I figured something had happened when I saw the tub of dirty water in the kitchen. Where are Madeline and George now?”
Josephine set the scrub brush she had been using back into the bucket of water and stood up, with a helping hand from Hank. Her arm tingled pleasantly where he had grabbed it to help her to her feet. “Well, if they aren’t in the kitchen anymore, I’d guess that she’s getting George dressed in some clean clothes upstairs.”
Caleb nodded his thanks and headed upstairs to find his wife.
Hank looked at his beautiful fiancé and, before he knew what he was doing, gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. He carefully tucked it behind an ear and slowly caressed her cheek with his fingertips as he pulled his hand back.
Josephine’s eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his rough, callused hand on her cheek. Her heart skipped a beat and then picked up its pace as a warm rush spread throughout her body. She stood there for a moment, lost in the sensations his touch had stirred, before she reopened her eyes.
As her eyes fluttered open, she found Hank gazing at her as though she were the only woman on earth. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that he must be as attracted to her as she was to him. Their eyes locked and time seemed to stand still.
Neither was aware of how long they stood there, staring into each other’s eyes. They were also unaware of slowly leaning in toward one another. At least, they were until Caleb suddenly cleared his throat, which caused both of them to jump back a good foot.
Caleb chuckled, but otherwise chose to ignore the near kiss he had witnessed. He bent down and picked up the bucket of dirty water that Josephine had nearly knocked over a moment before. “Madeline fell asleep with George. I’ll get rid of this, and then maybe we can rustle up some lunch.”
Josephine’s face felt like it was on fire. She was so embarrassed! First to have been caught nearly kissing Hank and then to have forgotten all about lunch…It was just too much. Her mind began to race as she thought of different things she might prepare for lunch.
She tried to take the bucket from Caleb, ashamed that he was doing her work for her, but he pulled the bucket out of her reach. “I got this,” he said with a smile. “Why don’t you and Hank go on and rustle up some lunch?”
Josephine watched Caleb walk back to the kitchen and heard the back door shut. She looked over at Hank, dumbfounded. “He wants you to help me make lunch?”
Hank burst out laughing. “I think he’s just trying to give us a little alone time. Besides, we managed fine when you women weren’t around. Ate a lot of beans, but we managed.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “I think my step-father would die before he’d make anything in the kitchen…” She trailed off as she realized he must be doing just that very thing, now that she was gone.
As she and Hank headed back into the kitchen, an image of her step-father wearing an apron came into her head and she could not get it out. Laughter slowly bubbled up from within her. It started out small, but by the time that they had reached the kitchen, she had graduated from chuckles to giggles to full-blown laughter.
Hank watched laughter transform his future bride’s face. If he thought she was pretty before, now she seemed downright beautiful. He stood there and watched her with a lovesick look on his face.
When she finally managed to stop laughing, she grinned at Hank. “Sorry. I pictured my step-father wearing a woman’s apron. It was the funniest thing I ever imagined!”
He grinned back. “I like it when you laugh. You should do that more often.”
An awkward pause was soon interrupted by Caleb returning with the empty bucket, which he set by the back door. Oblivious to the goings-on while he was gone, he hung his hat and coat by the door and turned, confused as to why Hank and Josephine were just standing in the kitchen.
“Aren’t we going to have some lunch?” he teased. “If I have to make it, we’re in trouble.”
That got Josephine moving. Caleb and Madeline were being so kind to her, giving her a place to live and food in her belly, that she felt that taking care of the housework was her job now. She didn’t want to disappoint them.
Oblivious to how quickly Josephine got started with lunch, Caleb sauntered in and sat down at the table. He looked to Hank, who was watching Josephine search for something to make for lunch. “The boys seem to have it all well in hand out there. I thought you and I could stay inside with our ladies this afternoon. You mentioned wanting to start planning out your new house, yeah?”
Hank nodded. “I want Josephine to help, since it’ll be her house, too.”
“Well, you’re welcome to use anything we have in the upper barn. I think there’s a couple doors up there and some lumber. Once you know what you’re building, we can see what we have and go from there.”
Hank smiled at his friend. “Thanks, Caleb. I owe you one.”
Caleb made a dismissive noise. “It’s just sitting there, gathering dust.”
Hank wanted to help Josephine with lunch, but she seemed to have everything well in hand. “Is there anything I can help you with, Josephine?”
Josephine, who had decided on making sandwiches, given the short amount of time she had, headed toward the door to the cellar. “No. You just visit with Caleb.”
She disappeared down into the cellar. Hank sighed and sat down across from Caleb. They made small talk while Josephine got lunch ready.
Once she had lunch about finished, she turned to Caleb. “I’m sorry time got away from me. We’ll just have some cheese sandwiches and canned corn for lunch, if that’s all right. Should I go and wake Madeline and George for lunch?”
“That’s fine. We’re not picky. I’ll go get Maddy and George,” Caleb replied as he stood.
Hank stood as well. “At least let me help set the table,” he pleaded with Josephine, eager to be of help.
Josephine smiled. “All right. You know where everything is?”
He nodded and got to work with a smile plastered on his face. He imagined helping Josephine set their own table one day soon, and then began to add their children sitting around the table as well. He could not wait to make her his wife.
It was not long before the sound of George racing down the stairs reached their ears, followed by Caleb telling his nephew to slow down before he hurt himself.
George plopped down at his place before Hank could stop him.
“Didn’t you forget something, Georgie?” Hank admonished.
George’s face twisted into almost a caricature of a boy hard at thought. “I don’t think so,” came his earnest reply. “I had a bath before nap.”
Hank leaned over and whispered in his ear, which caused George to immediately jump up from his seat.
Josephine raised a brow, curious as to what Hank had told the boy. Hank merely smiled in return.
Soon they were joined by Madeline and Caleb. The men, George included, waited to sit down until the ladies had been seated first.
Hank gave George a wink. “Atta boy, Georgie.”
George beamed proudly at the praise, and waited as patiently as he could for Caleb to say the blessing before digging into his meal whole-heartedly.
When he had finished his meal, George politely spoke up. “May I please be excused?” He slowly and carefully pronounced each word, clearly hopeful of making a good impression.
Everyone smiled at the effort, though Caleb was the one to answer him. “Yes, you may, but take your plate to the sink first, please.”
George carefully carried his little tin plate to the dry sink and then ran from the room, eager to get back to the battle that he had been having earlier.
/> Once the men had finished, Madeline shooed them from the kitchen. She wanted to talk to her new friend and thought she would have the afternoon to do so, but Caleb had told her that both he and Hank would be staying inside with them this afternoon.
“You two go on and wait for us in the parlor while we clean up,” she told them as she literally steered Caleb from the room with her hands on his shoulders.
Caleb laughed. “Hank, I get the feeling that we’re not wanted in here,” he teased as they left the room.
Once they were gone, Madeline helped Josephine clear the table. “I thought they would never leave,” she said with a grin.
Josephine grinned back. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
Madeline looked back to make certain that no one was listening before she responded. “Caleb’s birthday is coming up. I wanted to make him some new clothes to surprise him, but time has gotten away from me. Do you think you could help me?”
“Of course! How long do we have?”
Madeline filled her new friend in on the details. “We have two weeks. It sounds like a lot of time, but with everything else that needs to be done during the day and with Caleb in the house more in the winter, it’s hard to work on secret projects like this.”
“I can always excuse myself early for bed and work on it in my room, if we start running out of time. And we can store it all in my room as well. He won’t look there.”
“Perfect! I knew I could count on you.” Madeline gave Josephine a squeeze of gratitude.
“It’s the least I could do,” Josephine demurred with an embarrassed smile.
Chapter 6
Josephine awoke Sunday morning in a near panic. She knew that she would be expected to attend services with the family that morning, and she was terrified to have other people know that she was there. What if her step-father found out where she was? Was he looking for her? Would anyone in town report her whereabouts if he was?
Her mind reeled with endless possibilities for disaster. As she struggled with her inner demons, she got dressed, made her bed, and went downstairs to make some coffee. Somehow going through the repetitive motion of grinding the coffee beans soothed her nerves, if only a little.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when George burst through the door to the dining room with his dog, Pardner, in tow. Oblivious to her nerves, George raced through the kitchen to take the dog outside.
Madeline arrived shortly afterwards. One glance at Josephine and she knew that her friend was worried about something, and she was fairly certain she knew what that was. “Everything’ll be right as rain. You’ll see,” she said as she immediately stepped in to help.
“You don’t think anyone would tell my step-father where I am, do you?” Josephine asked nervously. Her hands were literally shaking with fear at the mere thought of ever seeing that man again.
“Why on earth would they? They don’t know him from Adam, and I haven’t seen any wanted posters with your likeness on it at the mercantile,” Madeline teased with a smile.
Josephine took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She knew that her friend was right. There was no proof that Horace Randall was even looking for her. He was probably glad that she was gone. Still, she could not help but worry.
Madeline could see that Josephine was still rattled, so she did her best to alleviate her friend’s fears. “We’ll get to church early today, so I can introduce you to Reverend Young and his wife, Ella. They’ll introduce you to the congregation. Once everyone knows that you’re going to marry Hank, they’ll treat you like one of us and protect you.”
“I’m sorry I’m such a ninny about this.”
Madeline chuckled. “You are not a ninny. Everything will be all right. Caleb’s family founded this town. Everyone here is loyal to him. If he protects you, so will they.”
Josephine remained skeptical, but kept silent. She did not want to hurt her friend’s feelings, but from her experience, most people did what was best for them. Sometimes that worked in your favor, sometimes it did not.
It was not long before all five of them were on their way to town in the buggy. Josephine and Hank sat together in the back seat, with George happily chattering away between them. Madeline and Caleb sat together in the front.
Josephine got her first good look at the small town of Chimney Rock as they approached. The prairie here was fairly flat, though there were more rises and swells than farther to the east. Chimney Rock itself marked the end of the prairie to those who traveled on the Oregon Trail and the start of the mountain regions.
The town itself boasted a few homes, the church, Pearson’s Mercantile, a small schoolhouse, and a few other buildings. It was smaller than Redington, but Josephine had rarely gone into town when she had lived there, so the size of the town was of no consequence to her. It was clean, with well-kept streets and tidy buildings in good repair.
What surprised Josephine the most about the town was the lack of a saloon. Almost all the towns she had passed through on her way to Nebraska as a child had at least a saloon in them, along with a trading post or mercantile and a smithy. She supposed that was one of the reasons Chimney Rock grew at such a slow rate, which suited her just fine.
As they entered town, some of the townsfolk saw Caleb and Madeline and performed their usual smile and wave, but when they noticed Josephine in the back seat, their smiles froze on their face and a puzzled look entered their eyes. Some people pointed, while others squinted their eyes to get a better look at the stranger in the buggy with Hank Sanders and the Starks.
Josephine squirmed in her seat nervously, but Hank reached over and gave her a gentle pat on her hand to reassure her that all would be well.
Caleb chuckled as they passed by an old man, who had to be well in his eighties by the looks of him. “I bet that we’ll be seeing Old Man McGivens in church today.”
Hank and Madeline joined Caleb in laughter, while Josephine grew confused. At the look on her face, Hank laughed louder.
“Josie, darlin’…Old Man McGivens is an odd stick. He only goes to church when there’s a new person or a new family in town. He arrived in Chimney Rock just after the Starks did. And yes, he likes to be called ‘Old Man McGivens’ instead of “Mister McGivens.’ He says that’s his pa, not him.”
Caleb hitched the team to one of the hitching posts alongside the church before walking around to help Madeline down from the buggy. Hank hopped out, quickly followed by George, who skipped up to his aunt to take her hand.
Josephine gratefully took Hank’s hand as he helped her down. She was shaking like a leaf, inside and out. She always hated to be the center of attention and normally did everything she could to fade into the background. She knew that being the stranger in a town this size forced her hand, but she still hated it.
Hank gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he released it. “It’ll be all right, Josie-darlin’. Just relax and be yourself.”
Josephine forced a smile for him as she straightened and smoothed her skirts. Her heart was pounding with excitement or fear—she was not certain which. Maybe a little of both, if she was being honest with herself.
Instead of heading directly into the church itself, Caleb and Madeline led them to the house next door. The door opened as they approached, and an older woman of indeterminate age stepped out to greet them. She was rather portly, with hair that had once been a beautiful shade of red, but was now streaked with white and silver. Josephine thought it looked quite lovely. Her eyes were kind and her smile infectious.
“Come in, come in!” The woman gestured for them to enter as she held the door open for them.
Dutifully, the group filed through the door. The woman gave Madeline a warm hug as soon as the door had closed, then turned her attention to Josephine.
“So, this is the young woman who has come to stay with you?” she asked Madeline, though her eyes were on Josephine as she spoke.
Josephine squirmed uncomfortably under the older woman’s gaze. It fel
t as though the woman could see right into her very soul.
Madeline smiled and dutifully made the introductions. “Ella, this is Josephine. Josephine, Mrs. Young…the reverend’s wife.”
Mrs. Young made a dismissive motion with her hand. “You just call me Ella, at least when we’re in private. Mrs. Young makes me sound too old.”
Josephine reached out and shook the proffered hand. “I’m pleased to meet you,” she responded politely.
Ella cocked her head to one side. “Do you have a last name, child? The reverend will want to introduce you to the congregation before services start. That way no one will be whispering and wondering who you are while he preaches.”
Madeline, Hank, and Caleb all exchanged surprised glances. None of them had ever thought to ask Josephine her last name. They knew that she was on the run from her step-father and had left it at that.
Josephine stared at the floor and clutched her hands together nervously. Her step-father had insisted that she use his name once he had married her mother, but she had always hated using it. She decided to give her father’s name instead. “Martin. Josephine Martin.”
Ella, oblivious to the uncertain glances the others had shared, smiled. “Excellent. I’ll let the reverend know. I hear that you ran away from your abusive step-father. Is that his name you’re using?”
Josephine’s head snapped to attention. “How did you hear that?”
Hank cleared his throat. “Well, Josie…I came to town to let Reverend Young know that we’ll be having a wedding soon. He wanted to know about my bride-to-be, so…” His voice trailed off as he realized that he should have mentioned that to Josephine. He suddenly felt knee-high to a grasshopper.
Hank's Runaway Bride (Brides of Chimney Rock Book 1) Page 8