Carol, Bride of Archer Ranch: Sweet Western Historical Romance (Wild West Frontier Brides Book 6)

by Cindy Caldwell

  Will had seen previously when he’d come out to check. He’d opened and closed the latch many times, and knew exactly what the problem was. He knelt down and unrolled the design that he’d made, securing each end of it with a rock. Mr. Archer tipped his hat back and leaned down next to Will, his head cocked as he looked from the drawings up to the latch and back down to the drawings.

  "Well, I’ll say, Will, I think maybe you're on to something here." Mr. Archer stood and turned to the latch on the gate, looking at the front and then peering over the gate to the backside of the latch. "So you're suggesting that we reverse the entire thing, pretty much, and do a double latch on the back."

  Will smiled, pleased that Mr. Archer could see clearly what he had in mind. "That's exactly what I have came up with, Mr. Archer."

  Mr. Archer stepped back and looked at the latch, folding his arms across his chest. "Mighty clever of you, Will. You think Joe can pull this off?"

  Will stood and rolled up the drawings, placing them in his saddle bag. "No question in my mind, Mr. Archer. Joe's the best there is."

  "You two boys sure would have made your pa proud. Sure wish he was around to see what you two do."

  Will pulled his hat down over his forehead as he mounted his horse. Mr. Archer reached out and flipped the reins off of the gate, tossing them up to Will.

  "Thank you Mr. Archer. I sure would like to think so. We’ll have these latches for you in a couple days," Will said as he nudged his horse and turned back toward town.

  "Hold up a second there, Will." Will turned to see Mr. Archer walking toward him again.

  "Yes, sir?"

  Will watched curiously as Mr. Archer looked down at his boots, shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled around some loose clods of dirt.

  “I, uh, I’ve been thinking of something else I might like you to draw." Mr. Archer rocked back on his heels. He looked off into the horizon and Will couldn't exactly see his face.

  "Yes, sir?"

  "I have this friend," Mr. Archer said, his discomfort palpable, even to Will. "I think this person might like something that I think maybe you could make. Possibly. Maybe."

  Will had never seen Mr. Archer quite so uncomfortable, and was very curious as to what Mr. Archer wanted. But it wasn't in his nature to pry, so he just waited.

  "Darn it, boy, you’re not going to help me here, are you?"

  Will stifled a laugh. "Mr. Archer, I'm afraid I don't know what it is that you're asking me for."

  Mr. Archer sighed and looked back up at the ranch house. "Guess I don't exactly know, either," Mr. Archer said as he turned up to the house. "Thanks for your help, son, and tell Joe thank you for me too, please."

  Will frowned and shook his head before he turned back toward town. People sure could be strange sometimes. It was another time that Will was pretty happy that he didn't know too many people, because he sure couldn't figure them out.

  Chapter 8

  On the day Carol had been waiting for—it seemed like it had taken forever to arrive—her eyes flew open at the first chirp of the bird outside her window. It took her a bit to remember why she was so excited, but only a moment for her to realize that this was the day she’d been waiting for—her first day at the library.

  Her mind had been running for days about the things that she might be able to do. It would be a big effort on the part of other people to get her there, but once she was at the library, she could be very valuable. She loved to read, she loved books, and before the accident she had wanted to be a teacher.

  She wouldn't be able to be a teacher now, but she also knew that she had something that she could give. She wriggled over the side of the bed, pulling her knees along beside her, her feet reaching the floor. She looked down at her toes and decided that she should do her wiggle practice before things got too hectic.

  She sat up straight, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and with all her might set every bit of energy in her body to wiggling her toes. Her eyes flew open after a moment as she just knew that her toes were wiggling. Her hand flew to her chest and she looked down as she continued to move them, but her shoulders slumped as she spotted the floor, her the where stock still.

  She sighed deeply, wondering how it could be that in her mind she could see herself running, dancing. In her mind’s eye, she could see her toes wiggling. But when she looked down, she saw no such thing.

  Well, she didn't need her feet to wiggle to be able to go to the library. She shrugged off her nightdress and reached for the one that Saffron had laid out, grateful that Saffron did her best to make things as easy for her as possible. She wondered what it would be like to be in a home of her own, not able to do these things for herself. In a way, that had been her existence with the boys. She’d been much too shy to have them help her in many, many ways. So she’d learned to lay out things for herself, within arm’s reach whenever possible. As a result, the space in her bedroom where she could actually get around was very small.

  But she liked it that way. It made it more manageable for her, and wasn't that what being independent was all about? Able to do things for yourself?

  She reached for the hairbrush and twisted her hair into a bun at the back of her neck. She glanced in the mirror on the table by the bed, something she rarely did. She’d never been too particular about how she looked, but now that she was going to go out in public and represent the library, she thought maybe it was a little bit more important.

  Her hand rose to her bun and she patted it lightly before securing a ribbon around it. She actually hoped that her bonnet didn't mess with the ribbon, and she laughed, having never thought anything like that before. Her thoughts turned briefly to Dennis—he’d said he was coming to visit, but they still didn’t know when. He was going to be in for a big surprise when he came to Tombstone and she vowed again to do everything she possibly could in that time to show him that she could take care of herself.

  She still couldn't imagine what it might be like for her to take care of the household, so she didn't allow herself to think about that. All she wanted was to meet Dennis, as they had been so close at one time. She wouldn't allow herself to consider the possibility of anything beyond that.

  She shook her head, thinking that she was being silly. This really wasn't about her or how she looked. It was about how she could help other people, and she was anxious to do that.

  She turned from the mirror at the soft rap on the door.

  “Come in,” she said brightly.

  Adam poked his head in and tried to smile, and Carol knew that he was making quite an effort to do so. Last night as they sat in the parlor by the fire he’d been very quiet, even when Saffron tried to engage him in conversation. They had all seemed a little uncomfortable, if she was to be honest. Herself included, so she understood completely how Adam must be feeling. It was all so new—it would take them all a bit of time to adjust to it.

  "Are you ready?" Adam said softly as he entered the room. His eyes grew wide when he spotted her and a slow smile crept across his face. "You look beautiful, Carol.”

  “Oh, thank you," Carol said as she felt her ears burn. Maybe her dress wasn't wasted after all, even though he was her brother.

  Carol laughed as she did every time Adam whisked her up into his arms and carried her down the hall to the kitchen. He backed into the swinging door and Carol heard Saffron take in a quick breath. She turned to look at Saffron and her eyes were as wide as her smile.

  "Carol, my goodness."

  Adam set her down softly on the kitchen chair. "I said the same thing. Doesn't she look lovely?"

  Carol shooed them away, glancing out the window as her ears burnt again. How could one little dress make such a big difference? She knew they were trying to help her confidence, but it was making her feel a little uncomfortable.

  "Go on, you two. I look the same as I did yesterday and the day before and the day before." Carol reach for the plates on the table and set them out, one in front of each chair.

 
; The kitchen door swung again and Andy swooped in, stopping short right in front of Carol.

  "Carol..." he started.

  Carol waved her hand at him as well. "I know, I know. I look lovely."

  Andy came a bit closer and leaned forward to look at her face. "Actually, I was going to say you have dirt on your nose.” He ran out the back door before Carol could swat him on the elbow.

  "What's all this about?" Luke laughed as he pushed through the door.

  "I could tell you weren't listening last night when we were in the parlor," Saffron said as she set a plate of eggs on the table. "We're going to the library after breakfast to talk to Rose and see if Carol can volunteer."

  Luke sat down at the table, helping himself to the eggs. "Of course you can," he said to Carol through a mouthful of eggs. "She can do anything she wants to do."

  Carol sighed and rested her hand on his arm. He looked up and smiled at her, swallowing his eggs. Carol's heart swelled as she thought of her family. Not one of them had ever told her she wasn’t able to do something she wanted to do. Well, Adam tried to tell her she shouldn't do things that she wanted to do, and he did try to stop her before, but he never once told her that she was incapable. She loved them all for that. She was hoping that it was actually accurate—that it wasn’t as hard as people seemed to think it would be, and she would be able to help.

  Chapter 9

  It was still early when Will returned to town from Archer Ranch, even though he’d taken his time out on the open roads. He didn’t get out of the town proper much these days, and as he passed under the gates of Archer Ranch, he took in a deep breath and realized that it was early summer. The fading sage blooms and higher temperatures were impossible to miss, and he enjoyed a slow ride home along the rutted road to town, one that would soon be flowing with water from summer’s monsoon rains.

  As he crested the last hill before town, he stopped for a moment. Tombstone sure had grown in the last few years, people coming in from all over the country to either hit their own silver strike in the mines or sell services or products to the people who were mining.

  From the top of the hill, he counted five new businesses and as his eyes traveled down Allen Street, he stopped when he reached the building with the large, plate glass windows with the sign Tombstone Public Library over the door. It was only a few doors down from the blacksmith shop, and Will decided to stop in on his way back, checking with Mrs. Tate about the rack she’d wanted them to make.

  He unsaddled his horse at the shop and headed the few doors down. Bells jingled as he opened the door, and Mrs. Tate looked up from her desk in the corner as he walked into the room.

  “Will, how nice to see you,” she said as she stood and crossed toward him, her eyes bright with excitement.

  He nodded as he removed his hat and set it on the long table in between the shelves that had many more books on them than the last time he’d stopped by.

  “Looks very nice. You’re filling up quickly,” he said as he looked around, peering down the aisles between the bookshelves. He walked down one and crouched down when he spotted his favorite book, one he hadn’t read in many years. His pa had read it to him over and over, but somewhere along the line, it had disappeared.

  “Thank you, Will. I’ve been working very hard trying to get everything ready as we’ll be opening soon. Thank goodness I have a willing volunteer—that is if her family agrees. I don’t think I can manage on my own.”

  He walked back over to the desk as she sat down and reached for another stack of books. “Good you have help.”

  “Oh, I agree,” she said as she looked around the library and up to the stacks on the top shelf and frowned. “I hope I haven’t arranged things, though, so that my volunteer will have any difficulty.”

  Will followed her gaze over to the far wall of the library. The stacks were about eye level to Will, about six foot high. Mrs. Tate was fairly tall, and he knew she’d have no trouble reaching the books, even the ones on the tallest shelf.

  “Difficulty?” he said as he took a seat at the table and rested the book he held on it.

  Rose glanced around again and stood. “I’m very excited to have Carol Benson as my volunteer and I think her personality and enthusiasm will be a big help. But I worry that she’ll be a little frustrated if there are things she can’t do. I’m committed to helping her not feel that way.”

  Will’s heart hitched at the mention of the pretty girl who didn’t walk—one who he now knew to be sweet and friendly, even if she talked a bit much for his taste. He glanced around the room and wondered himself how it might be for her. He thought of the drawings he’d done of a chair with wheels and wished it was ready now.

  “Didn’t I see her at one time in a chair with wheels? If she had that, she could move around better in here. We could move the shelves further apart so she could get between them to help people,” he said as he took another glance at the highest shelves.

  Rose stood quickly and walked between two of the shelves. “Will, that’s a grand idea. Dr. Folsom has the chair, and I can ask Sage if we can borrow it while Carol is here in the library,” she said, her eyes growing even brighter as she clapped her hands.

  Will smiled as he pushed himself up from the table. “Glad I could help. Just wanted to see about the stacking racks you asked about,” he said as he pushed the chair under the table.

  Rose reached for the book he’d set on the table and turned it over in her hands. “Have you read this?”

  Will removed the pencil from behind his ear and shoved his hat on. “Yes, ma’am, I have but not for a long time.”

  Rose smiled and held the book out to Will. “Please, be our first customer.”

  Will nodded and took the book, turning toward the door. “Thank you, ma’am. I’d enjoy that,” he said as he ran his hand over the gold lettering on the leather cover.

  “Good,” Rose said as she turned back toward her desk. “The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is one of my father’s all-time favorites, and he read it to us many times. Enjoy.”

  As Will closed the door, he remembered his own father reading these very words to him, and tucked the book under his arm, looking forward to spending more time on the deserted desert island that he and his father had shared in their imaginations. Robinson Crusoe had been able to solve just about any problem, fix just about anything. He peered back at the book shelves, and felt the wheels in his head start turning about Carol Benson, and what she might need in the library—what might help her and make things easier.

  Chapter 10

  Carol was both excited and nervous at the same time as their buggy pulled up in front of the library. She looked up at the large, plate glass window that had Tombstone Public Library painted on it, the gold letters catching the sun in the early morning light. She leaned forward and looked inside, the tall stacks of books lining the walls beckoning her.

  She felt like she was a five-year-old on her birthday, wondering what exciting things would happen that day. But she wasn't a five-year-old. She was a grown woman, sitting between her older brother and her new sister-in-law, hoping that she would be able to volunteer at the library. Things surely had changed in her world.

  She toyed with the strings on her bonnet as Adam hopped out of the buggy and tied the reins to the post out front. Maybe things hadn't really changed that much. She had many memories of wanting to work in a library, even be inside a library as this would be her first time. She'd only ever heard about them, not ever seen one. But she loved school, she loved to read, and she loved people. What could be better?

  Adam lifted Saffron down from the buggy and Carol shook her head as she scooted over to the side. Saffron and Adam looked at each other in that funny way. She'd heard that newlyweds did that for quite a while, maybe even a year, but she hoped for their sake that it wouldn't be too much longer. Luke and Andy were having a hard time keeping their comments and smiles to themselves. But she was happy for them. It couldn't help but make her wonder if she wo
uld be able to have something like that someday, and her stomach fluttered at the memory of how she used to feel when she opened letters from Dennis. She guessed the look on her face at that time wasn't too far off from the expression she saw on Saffron's now.

  If she had any chance of having a relationship, and possibly a marriage, she needed to get on with things. Be as independent as she possibly could. Not that she'd been unhappy, as Adam and the boys and now Saffron had done everything they could to make life easy for her and to help her feel like she was contributing.

  Adam reached out for Carol and cradled her in his arms as he turned toward the library. Carol tried to see behind her as Saffron said, "Sage, thank you so much for coming."

  Adam turned toward Saffron and Carol could see Sage, Saffron's twin sister, beaming as she stood behind the chair with wheels that Carol had borrowed to go to the circus. She looked quickly from Sage to Adam, and her stomach settled as Adam smiled.

  “Thank you so much, Sage, for asking the doctor if we could borrow the chair with wheels. We thought maybe it would make things a little bit easier for Carol here in the library and she could be moved from place to place." Adam climbed the steps to the boardwalk and settled Carol gently down into the chair. Carol turned toward Sage and reached out, squeezing her hand.

  "Oh, Sage, thank you so much for talking to the doctor about the chair. I didn't even think about it. And I probably never would have asked," Carol said as she looked down at her lap.

  "No, you never would have asked. So Adam asked for you," Saffron said as she looped her arm through Adam’s. "Hopefully, this will make it easier for you."

  Carol sighed as she looked up at her family, grateful they were so thoughtful.

  "Dr. Folsom said Carol could use it for as long as she wanted. He's not using it right now."