She blinked back tears and reached for another stack of fabric. Feeling this way didn’t change anything. What had happened had been God’s will. At least that’s what Reverend Brown had said at the funeral, and he seemed to know a lot about things in this life. And Momma and the baby were safe in heaven right now.
For the first time in her life, Mama had a nice place to live and was happy and well up there with God and the angels. She blinked back more tears and shook her head. It did no good to think how lonely she and Charlie were without her.
“Frankie! Come over here and meet my family,” Seth called to her.
Seth’s family? A quiver of nerves stirred in her stomach as she formed a smile with her lips. “Coming.”
***
“So this is the sweet little thing you’ve been telling us about.” The woman Seth called Aunt Della beamed a smile at her.
Frankie pulled her shirt collar together as heat rushed up her neck and warmed her cheeks. A polite smile passed over her lips and she gave a nod to the younger woman, Missy, as Seth introduced her.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Frankie said, her eyes glued to the woman’s hair. The color of sunshine on a late summer’s day. A lump rose in her throat. Momma’s hair had been that exact shade. It had been nearly a year since she’d brushed that long hair back, putting in the combs that Frankie‘s father had bought her for a gift in honor of Frankie’s own birth. When would everything stop reminding her of her mother?
The woman gave her a big smile and held out her hand. “Missy. You call me Missy. It will be nice to have a new friend,” she added.
Frankie nodded and took her hand. “Yes, ma’am. I mean. . .Missy.”
“And this bundle of trouble,” Seth said, swinging the child off of his feet, “is Isaac.”
Frankie laughed as the boy squealed with delight. She reached out and tousled his dark blond hair, catching his straw hat as it tumbled from his head. “And how old are you, Isaac?”
“Tree,” he smiled, holding up three rather grimy looking fingers.
“That’s right,” Seth agreed, putting him down and allowing Frankie to return the hat to his head. “He’s been three for a whole week now.”
“Seth tells us that you have a brother,” Missy said, setting her basket on the counter and opening a slip of paper.
“You mean Charlie,” Frankie answered, sincerely hoping she wasn’t going to hand the list to her. Her reading was coming along, but not well enough to help customers. “He’s six and just started school.”
“I’m sure he’s enjoying getting to know all the children,” Della Murphy nodded, her hand rummaging through the bin of potatoes Frankie had sorted earlier.
Please, Lord, don’t let there be any rotten ones in there. Making a good impression on Seth’s family was important to her.
“And speaking of getting to know people,” Della said, “we’d like to invite you and Charlie out to the house for supper one night. We were thinking Saturday. Would that suit you?”
Frankie stared. No one had ever invited them to their home, other than Reverend Brown and his wife. She glanced at Seth, busy showing Isaac the jars of candy on the counter. He must have known that they were going to ask her. Was she supposed to take something with her? “I. . .I guess that would be fine, ma’am. Thank you,” she remembered to add. “I’d be happy to bring something.”
Della Murphy shook her head. “Just yourselves will be fine.”
“Then it’s all settled,” Missy said, offering her list to Seth.
Chapter 9
“Charlie! Be careful,” Frankie warned, watching the child scramble up the buckboard, his foot slipping as he heaved himself upward.
“Gotcha!” Seth laughed, looping his thumbs through the back of Charlie’s suspenders. He gave a big shove and pushed the child up to the seat. “Now you, Miss,” he grinned, turning to Frankie. “Just give me your hand.”
Her breath caught as his strong fingers grasped her own. She steeled herself against the urge to pull away, stop the hammering beat her heart always started when he was close. The first time it was easy to ignore. But not anymore.
After two weeks of being so close to him, his fingers moving along the words in the book they were reading, his arm brushing against hers, she couldn’t fool herself any longer. She was starting to fall in love with Seth.
And it was all wrong. The last thing she needed in her life was a man. Especially one that didn’t feel the same way about her. If only she could stop the way she felt. She should never have accepted the Murphy’s invitation to dinner. Staying as far away from him as possible was the only solution.
“Comfortable?” he asked.
She nodded and settled herself on the seat as he walked around the wagon and pulled himself up.
“Would you like to drive, Charlie? My brother, Jared always let me drive when I was your age.”
Warmth washed through her as she listened to him talk to the child. That was it. She wasn’t really in love with Seth. She just appreciated the way he treated Charlie. Always being so nice to him, talking to him about school and promising to take him fishing. She wasn’t falling in love with the man. She was just grateful. At least that’s what she was going to tell herself.
“And I’d like to show you, too, Frankie.”
She started. What had he been talking about? “I. . .I’m sure that would be fine, Seth.”
He nodded and urged the horse forward. “I can always use a woman’s opinion. Since it will be sort of a surprise. I mean, I’ve already asked Missy and Aunt Della, but I’d like you to take a look at the spot, too. I’ve only got the framing up, right now.”
Her heart plunged. He was talking about Violet and the house he was going to build for her. It was to be completely finished and ready before he asked Violet’s father for her hand.
Frankie took a deep breath and forced a smile to her lips. She would do her best to be pleasant and agreeable about Violet. There was nothing she could say that might change Seth’s mind. He would have to get to know the girl better himself before he realized that she might not make a good rancher‘s wife.
And maybe she was wrong. If Violet really loved Seth, she could change. But even that wouldn’t heal the gnawing ache in Frankie’s heart. Somehow, she’d just have to get over her feelings for Seth Murphy.
***
“I guess Aunt Della forgot to mention that you were going to have to fish for your supper,” Seth’s older brother, Jared, grinned as he handed a pole to Charlie.
“It’s sort of a Saturday evening tradition at our house,” Missy smiled, watching her husband bait another hook. “We catch the fish and Aunt Della fries it for us.”
“And since Mark’s not here right now, we’ll let Charlie do his fishing for him,” Seth grinned.
Charlie seemed pleased with this idea. “We like fish a lot, don’t we, Frankie? We used to go fishing all the time when we lived at home,” he added, checking the worm on his hook.
The excitement in Charlie’s voice sent Frankie’s emotions reeling. For the first time in weeks, he seemed really happy. She’d been so busy working, thinking about their future that she’d ignored the here and now. I’ll do better for him, Lord. I Promise.
“We sure do,” she agreed, taking a seat on a fallen tree near the edge of the bank. She watched as he tossed his line into the creek. Isaac, a short pole with only a string and no hook, followed his lead.
“Looks like Isaac’s ready to catch fish, too,” Frankie laughed, as Missy sat on the trunk beside her.
Missy pushed the wisps of wayward hair from her brow and nodded. “He can’t wait until he’s big enough to do all the fun things his dad and uncle’s do. But right now it looks like he’s going to be Charlie’s shadow.”
Frankie smiled and watched as Isaac jerked on his pole exactly as Charlie had just done. “It will do Charlie good to know someone looks up to him.”
“So how are the two of you adjusting to living in Chance? Do you like
it?” Missy asked, her hands smoothing the blue cotton skirt she wore.
Frankie paused and considered the question. There were so many answers she could choose to share. Seemed these days her heart pulled her in a dozen different directions. “I think we’ll do alright here. I’ve got a good job at Uncle Wally’s store and Charlie’s doing well in school.”
No matter how her heart called her back to the mountains, she had to make this situation work. If only Seth felt the same about her it would make a difference. Instead, she would spend part of the evening giving him advice on the house he was building for another woman.
Missy gave a soft laugh. “I asked how you liked it here. When Jared and I married, it took me a while to get used to this place. My grandfather, who raised me after my parents passed away had only recently died. I thought I would never get used to life without him.”
Frankie turned and met her eyes. She had heard the story of Missy’s amnesia and how Jared had fallen in love with her before he even knew her true name. “I suppose Seth told you about my mother dying last year?”
She nodded. “He did. I hope you don’t mind that he told us about you and Charlie.”
Frankie fixed her gaze to the rapid flow of the creek. “No, it’s fine.” He had probably shared about her lack of counting and reading skills, too. By now, everyone in town probably knew their entire life story. “Sometimes I still miss the mountains, but I think maybe it’s best for us to be here. For now.” Even if Mama and all the babies were back in the mountains with no one to talk to them.
Frankie stared at the ground, scuffing the dirt with the toe of her boot. “You’ll think it silly of me, but what I miss most is going out and sitting by Mama’s grave. I used to go out in the evenings after supper and just sit there with her. Talk to her about everything going on. I know she. . .wasn’t there, but it helped. And now, somehow it just doesn’t seem right to try to talk to her here, in a strange place.”
Missy shook her head and leaned against the branch sloping behind her. “It’s not silly at all. I used to do the same with my grandpa. For years, grandpa and I sat in rockers out on the porch after our supper and chatted. It just seemed natural to do the same after he was gone. I think it helped me cope with being alone. I knew all the things that we would have discussed about the day. He was a doctor and he loved to discuss his cases with me, telling how he treated the patient and how they were doing.”
Frankie smiled and looked up at her. It was so comfortable talking to her. Maybe the two of them really were going to be good friends. “Has it been long enough that you’ve stopped talking to him?”
Missy nodded. “Yes. I have Jared now, and Isaac. And I think time just does its own healing if you let it. It will just take a while, Frankie. I promise it will get better.”
“Look, Frankie!” Charlie’s voice echoed laughter over the water. “I caught a big one!”
A large trout hung from his line. Isaac, beside him, was busy clapping and jumping up and down with excitement.
“Be careful!” Missy called to her son. “Isaac. . .Jared!”
Frankie sprang from the log as Isaac teetered backwards and began to lose his balance. Her feet felt heavy as lead as she began to run toward the child. Further up the bank, she could see Jared and Seth rushing toward the boys.
Charlie dropped his pole and grabbed the younger child’s hand, but it was too late. They both tumbled over the side and into the rushing water.
Frankie’s heart pounded in her chest. Her life-long fear of water vanished as she rushed toward them. She reached the creek first and plunged into the chilly water. The recent rains had swelled the stream and the swift current rushed the children away at a steady pace.
“Charlie! Charlie!” Frankie screamed. She tripped over the rocky bottom beneath her water-filled boots and her knees sank into the rocks, their sharp edges biting into her skin. She struggled to stand, as the frigid water numbed the cuts and bruises on her hands and legs.
Seth rushed past her, as did Jared, both diving in as the water got deeper. She watched as Charlie fought against the current and struggled to get a hold of Isaac. His hand caught the collar on the smaller boy’s shirt and pulled his head above water. Fear still coursing through her, the sound of the little boy’s cries brought a small sense of relief. Charlie held the screaming boy close to him and reached for the branch of a tree that had fallen along the bank. Grabbing on, he held tight.
Jared reached them a moment later, with Seth only seconds behind him. Jared pried Isaac from Charlie’s grasp, as Seth’s arm went around the six year old and they started for land.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord. Frankie breathed in and the tightness in her arms and legs began to ebb away. Tears flowing freely, she hurried to the bank and climbed out. Her soggy boots did nothing to slow her as she ran to the place Jared and Seth had landed with the boys.
“Charlie!” she cried as she reached Seth, tearing the child from his arms. She pulled him to her chest and Charlie shivered and snuggled against her, sending more icy water down her shirt. But she barely noticed. He was safe. If she had lost Charlie, or the Murphy’s had lost Isaac. . .but it didn’t matter now. She pushed her face into his soggy hair and cried.
Chapter 10
Frankie peeled the wet shirt and trousers from her shivering body and draped them over a straight backed chair. She quickly dried herself with the rough cotton towel Della Murphy had provided, pausing a moment to rub her palms up and down her arms. The chilly water from Chance Creek had never warmed against her skin. Grabbing the cotton shift that lay on a chair outside the screened area, she quickly pulled it over her head, and waited for Missy, who had promised to find something for her to wear.
The faint sound of laughter echoed from somewhere in the house. The two boys seemed completely recovered from their ordeal. Both had been laughing and talking by the time they’d made it back to the house.
She closed her eyes for a moment as their laughter echoed n her ears. Thank you, again, Lord. Thank you that Charlie and Isaac are OK.
***
“It’s perfect,” Missy declared, adjusting the collar on the shirtwaist.
Frankie dared to glance in the mirror. The dark blue riding skirt hung straight and even over the top of the work boots, hitting just above her ankles. The boots didn’t seem nearly as bad as they did when the trousers were stuffed inside of them.
The snowy blouse was crisp and clean against the indigo fabric. Her braids hung copper in the dark light of the room. She was dressed like a woman for the first time in several years. A smile stole across her lips. Along with the regret at her reply. “I’ll be sure and get them back to you. I’ll wrap them and Seth can bring them home to you on Monday.”
Missy shook her blond head. “Nonsense. They’re yours. I haven’t worn them since before Isaac was born,” she said. “And the skirt is perfect for riding horses.”
Frankie shrugged. “I don’t have a horse to ride, so I wouldn’t be using it for that.”
Missy reached for the brush on the dresser. “You know you are welcome to come out here and ride any of our horses. Seth could show you around the ranch, that way. And I’m sure Mark can pick out the best one for you, since he spends most of his time with them. After years of being timid around them, they’re his favorite part of the ranch, these days. Seth says he spoils them like children,” she laughed.
An afternoon riding around the ranch with Seth. Almost more than she dared to imagine. Not that it would matter to him, of course. His heart was set on Violet. A woman who could never appreciate him. Frankie sighed. To Seth, she was just a kid that needed help. That was the only way he would ever see her.
“Th-thank you,” she managed. She swallowed hard and blinked back the tears that sprang to her eyes. Missy had been so sweet and kind, always friendly when she came in the store. Maybe they would be real friends one day. The only women she had ever had to confide in were her mother and Mrs. Brown. It would be wonderful to have som
eone close to her own age to share some time with.
Frankie stared at the pretty black enameled brush that Missy held. The colorful flowers on it gave it such a feminine touch, compared to the plain wooden handled brush at home on her own dresser.
“Now let’s see if I can do something with your damp hair,” Missy said.
Braids out, the bristles were smooth and soft as they pulled through her natural curls. Her own brush was rough and caught on every tangle. She closed her eyes and remembered how her mother used to brush her hair when she was a little girl. It felt good to have someone else in charge of her, if only for a moment.
“You’re hair is such a lovely color, Frankie. I’m almost jealous,” Missy smiled as she stepped back. “What do you think?”
Frankie turned and looked in the mirror. The debris from the creek was gone. The sides of her hair were swept back, away from her face. She touched her cheeks. They had been so pale and thin when she and Charlie arrived in Chance. Tonight, they were fuller, and slightly pink. She reached behind her head and felt a wooden comb holding her hair. The back swung long and wavy, shining in the soft light of the room .
A woman stared back from the mirror. It was hard to believe she was looking at an image of herself. She blinked back the tears behind her lids. “Thank you. . . Missy. It looks. . .my hair has never looked like this before.”
The other woman smiled and arranged the brush and several combs on the dresser. “Living out here, so far from civilization, life can be hard and it’s easy to forget we women need to take the time to work at looking pretty.”
Chance Creek Brides (Volumes 1-3 & the Stagecoach Bride) Page 14